1
as in increases
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accelerates
to make greater in size, amount, or number
the president promised to escalate the government's program to combat the dreaded disease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of escalates
After a man appears to resist, the situation escalates as several agents tackle him and place him in handcuffs.
—
Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 12 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
Fight at boxing event escalates On May 16, Brown allegedly punched Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, a 41-year-old, during the scuffle.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The shooting of the woman, identified by family members as Renee Nicole Good, 37, occurred as Homeland Security escalates immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota by deploying 2,000 agents and officers.
—Claudia Lauer, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
The rise in fatal encounters with federal agents The shooting of the woman, identified by family members as Renee Nicole Good, 37, occurred as Homeland Security escalates immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota by deploying 2,000 agents and officers.
—Claudia Lauer, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026
Argument escalates to deadly shooting According to the affidavit, detectives responded and spoke with several witnesses who said a loud argument could be heard between Browley and Washington.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Venus in Scorpio escalates emotional feelings around your financial security and safety.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
But Meredith’s not laughing, and the back-and-forth escalates enough for Captain Jason, who was meant to join the women for dessert, to slip away from the table unnoticed.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 12 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
Fight at boxing event escalates On May 16, Brown allegedly punched Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, a 41-year-old, during the scuffle.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The shooting of the woman, identified by family members as Renee Nicole Good, 37, occurred as Homeland Security escalates immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota by deploying 2,000 agents and officers.
—Claudia Lauer, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
The rise in fatal encounters with federal agents The shooting of the woman, identified by family members as Renee Nicole Good, 37, occurred as Homeland Security escalates immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota by deploying 2,000 agents and officers.
—Claudia Lauer, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026
Argument escalates to deadly shooting According to the affidavit, detectives responded and spoke with several witnesses who said a loud argument could be heard between Browley and Washington.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Venus in Scorpio escalates emotional feelings around your financial security and safety.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
But Meredith’s not laughing, and the back-and-forth escalates enough for Captain Jason, who was meant to join the women for dessert, to slip away from the table unnoticed.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalates
Verb
-
That carryover increases the money pool each racing day for the pick six.—
Danny Brewer,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The chance of snow increases Saturday night.—
Cutter Martin,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Orchestrated by a central process orchestration layer such as zenon, this approach accelerates scale-up from lab to full production, slashes changeover time, reduces waste, and breaks vendor lock‑in while protecting existing assets and enabling continuous improvement.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
In volatile environments, anxiety accelerates decisions.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The growth of networks spanning countries shows no sign of slowing, even as nationalism rises and geographical borders harden.—
Dr. Shaheena Janjuha-Jivraj,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Any return depends entirely on whether the price of gold rises over time.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The discussion comes as driverless robotaxi testing and deployment expands rapidly nationwide, with Austin as a major launching pad.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Cotie McMahon expands her range As her former program finds its footing without her, Cotie McMahon is showing a different part of her game than existed at Ohio State.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While the number of retirees swells, the pool of workers funding the social safety net — and caring for the aging population — is narrowing.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
There's a sort of a natural world religiousness or spirituality or philosophy that swells around a lot of things and different characters.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The conditioner’s nourishing formula also tames frizz, boosts moisture, and enhances shine.—
Alyssa Morin,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
-
In this edition…Why some workers feel a sense of loss while AI boosts productivity…Anthropic raising fresh $10 Billion at $350 billion valuation…Musk’s xAI closed $20 billion funding with Nvidia backing…Can AI do your job?—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Arctic competition intensifies as Russia boosts military presence and China declares itself a ‘near-Arctic state,’ making Greenland crucial for North American defense.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Two days later, Mars conjunct Pluto in your fourth house intensifies emotional undercurrents tied to family, home, or old survival patterns.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Agreeing to a three-year contract with Tatsuya Imai augments a rotation bracing for the loss of Framber Valdez while leaving a footprint in a market this franchise rarely explores.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escalates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalates. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
