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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of escalate
Bahrain and Jeddah were originally scheduled for April, but both races were removed from the calendar as the conflict escalated.
—
Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Series That Travel Most importantly Gårdare has had to prioritise stories that travel, and quality over quantity to counter in-house budget cuts and escalating production costs, harsh measures already implemented by many of her European counterparts.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Previously, small fires had often escalated due to increasingly difficult-to-predict weather conditions.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Devastating wildfires across Georgia and Florida have destroyed nearly 50 homes and triggered mass evacuations as officials warn of a rapidly escalating emergency.
—Jeff Martin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Series That Travel Most importantly Gårdare has had to prioritise stories that travel, and quality over quantity to counter in-house budget cuts and escalating production costs, harsh measures already implemented by many of her European counterparts.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Previously, small fires had often escalated due to increasingly difficult-to-predict weather conditions.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Devastating wildfires across Georgia and Florida have destroyed nearly 50 homes and triggered mass evacuations as officials warn of a rapidly escalating emergency.
—Jeff Martin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalate
Verb
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The list of measures in the statement touches on ties that China had suspended in recent years as tensions increased.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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Crews also removed a wooden timber debris screen in front of one of the dam's gates to help increase water flow through it.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Brett Bruen, a former Obama administration diplomat, said Israel’s increasingly close alignment with one party risks accelerating that dynamic.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
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The main engines, each producing more than a half-million pounds of thrust, accelerated the rocket past the speed of sound in about a minute-and-a-half.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As truck prices have risen, that tax has become a barrier to investing in newer, safer and cleaner vehicles.—
Andrew Stasiowski,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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The price of gas has risen more than 30% since the start of the war.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Somebody who is just living greatness and never rests on that laurel but is always pushing herself to expand as an artist.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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The debate is playing out in Wyoming, a state where many data centers have popped up, including new plans for Microsoft to purchase 3,200 acres of land to expand its data center footprint.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Fed’s balance sheet swelled again during the pandemic recession, as central bankers acted decisively to stabilize markets and soften the blow to the US economy.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
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Flooding along the Fox River in Illinois has remained a concern for several days as the river has continued to swell following heavy rains last week.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Supporters’ contributions help change students’ lives by relieving financial burdens, augmenting the resources that support student learning inside and outside the classroom, the release said.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
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This is the first of a new type of rideshare program flying to that orbit that augments SpaceX’s Transporter program that flies to SSO.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Luna is in your sign, boosting your intuition with lunar grace.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2026
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Which means teaching an LLM all a company’s secrets could simultaneously boost the business—and risk blowing it up.—
Erik German,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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SpaceX, the dominant player in the burgeoning commercial space market, is running behind on its huge lunar lander and is more distracted than ever with an initial sale of shares to the public that could raise as much as $75 billion.—
Thomas Black,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
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But that letter, and the date it was sent, raised questions about recent court filings by the city attorney’s office in a case filed by the First Amendment Coalition seeking the release of all video footage and other records related to the police use of force against Evans.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalate. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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