1
as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
as the war between the two countries escalated, it threatened to become a global conflict
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to accelerate
to make greater in size, amount, or number
the president promised to escalate the government's program to combat the dreaded disease
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of escalate
A day after a federal immigration officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, the case escalated sharply when federal authorities blocked state investigators from accessing evidence and declared that Minnesota has no jurisdiction to investigate the killing.
—
Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Humans will oversee the early days of refills, but the system will eventually function autonomously, unless the AI escalates an issue to a human doctor.
—semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
For days, the violence escalated until the precinct was in flames, until Lake Street was burning, until the whole city smelled like smoke and tear gas and grief.
—Jennifer Brooks, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
These operations may now likely escalate further.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Humans will oversee the early days of refills, but the system will eventually function autonomously, unless the AI escalates an issue to a human doctor.
—semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
For days, the violence escalated until the precinct was in flames, until Lake Street was burning, until the whole city smelled like smoke and tear gas and grief.
—Jennifer Brooks, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
These operations may now likely escalate further.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalate
Verb
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The committee approved Lucas’s amendment and approved the recommendation to increase funding for the temporary jail.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
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Iwobi’s movement drags Ladislav Krejci wider, increasing the space between the lines and creating a clear passing angle for Calvin Bassey.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The race to commercialize perovskite technology has accelerated rapidly in recent years.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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The transfer portal, which opened Friday, allows programs to accelerate the rebuilding process and replace departing players — more than 20 in Florida’s case.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There were 107 homicides in Kansas City in 2012, and while that number dipped to as low as 82 homicides in 2014, the number of homicides continued to rise until a peak in 2023 at 182 homicides.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
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Tensions rise when Nora, a stage actress, rejects Gustav's offer to star in his comeback film and is forced to confront her feelings toward her estranged father.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Flywing also plans to expand the competitive side of the platform.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
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Neutrality allowed the nation to build strength, expand westward, and avoid the ideological contagions sweeping the continent.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But the longstanding regime’s grasp on power now appears more tenuous than ever as the swelling opposition movement demands substantive change.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
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Tensions mount in Minneapolis Hundreds of people took to the streets of Minneapolis to protest within hours of Good’s death and demonstrations have continued to swell in the ensuing days.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This innovative approach not only speeds the design process but also frees up designers to focus on more creative tasks, demonstrating how AI can be used as a tool to augment human creativity rather than replace it.—
Li Jun,
Footwear News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Powell levels could be augmented by Upper Basin contributions to protect infrastructure.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But this is a Martha Stewart production boosted by the expert medical insight of a top dermatologist.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
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The Broncos are not a Super Bowl team in the traditional sense, not without more weapons offensively, and a special teams boost from Marvin Mims Jr.—
Troy Renck The Denver Post,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Wanda Sykes made sure that comedian Ricky Gervais — a comedian whose past material raised eyebrows and allegations of transphobia — shared his big 2026 Golden Globes night with a higher power and the transgender community.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
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One of them, fist raised to the sky, let out a long yell, the hoarse shout of a gold panner.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalate. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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