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
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Recent Examples of escalates
When Trevor escalates his con and starts contacting Karl and calling her at work, Paula flips.
—
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Depending on how aggressively partisan engineering escalates in the interim, the 2032 GPI is projected to range from 50 to 59, roughly four times the pre-2010 baseline and unprecedented in recent history.
—Bruce Sibley, Time, 29 May 2026
Ahead of season 3, EW has launched three motion covers, each one starring a contender for the crown — as the show's cold war escalates into literal dragon fire.
—Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
As Meiko, a quiet single mom with a penchant for knitting like a cheerful Madame DeFarge, Moone embodies Meiko’s optimism, which, as the situation escalates, explodes into an everybody’s-thinking-it-but-no-one-wants-to-say-it, show-stopping monologue.
—Mary Damiano, Miami Herald, 27 May 2026
If medical debt is becoming unmanageable, there may be debt relief strategies worth exploring before the situation escalates further.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Obsessed with family honor and personal status, his aggression escalates every conflict.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
The argument escalates into a physical altercation, with the two characters coming to blows in the middle of the newsroom.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
Pauline is extraordinarily tolerant of Garance’s drinking, which escalates under lockdown to two boxes of cheap plonk a night.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 18 May 2026
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Depending on how aggressively partisan engineering escalates in the interim, the 2032 GPI is projected to range from 50 to 59, roughly four times the pre-2010 baseline and unprecedented in recent history.
—Bruce Sibley, Time, 29 May 2026
Ahead of season 3, EW has launched three motion covers, each one starring a contender for the crown — as the show's cold war escalates into literal dragon fire.
—Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
As Meiko, a quiet single mom with a penchant for knitting like a cheerful Madame DeFarge, Moone embodies Meiko’s optimism, which, as the situation escalates, explodes into an everybody’s-thinking-it-but-no-one-wants-to-say-it, show-stopping monologue.
—Mary Damiano, Miami Herald, 27 May 2026
If medical debt is becoming unmanageable, there may be debt relief strategies worth exploring before the situation escalates further.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Obsessed with family honor and personal status, his aggression escalates every conflict.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
The argument escalates into a physical altercation, with the two characters coming to blows in the middle of the newsroom.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
Pauline is extraordinarily tolerant of Garance’s drinking, which escalates under lockdown to two boxes of cheap plonk a night.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalates
Verb
-
The chance of rain increases a bit during the beginning of next workweek.—
Cutter Martin,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
-
In such environments, adding more dashboards increases cognitive load rather than clarity.—
Krupesh Bhat,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
The compounding accelerates in year three.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
The plan raises questions about training, cost and safety, risks further militarizing daily life, and signals mounting strain on Russia’s conventional air defenses as Ukraine accelerates drone innovation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Essential safety tips for heavy rain When heavy rain sets in, the risk of flooding and hazardous driving conditions rises.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
-
More than fifty meters tall, the monument rises abruptly above the banks of the river Ancre, a tributary of the Somme.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
The film expands Haig’s play and includes additional characters and sequences, including the actual D-day invasion.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
And yet as the series expands from and twists around its simple horror concept (a wedding at the groom-to-be’s family house in the woods is fated for a titular dark catastrophe), Morrone’s performance as Rachel is able to shoulder the weight of quite a bit of backstory and a complicated endgame.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The beach town swells with visitors in the summer, though surfers flock here any time of year for the classic surf break Plage de Lafitenia and big waves surf spot Belharra.—
Anne Olivia Bauso,
Travel + Leisure,
21 May 2026
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Throughout, visiting tourist Madeleine (Kristen Stewart) stuffs her face with every kind of meat, vegetable and carb while her father Phil (Woody Harrelson) is the one whose stomach miraculously swells.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
As Russia’s advance stalls, Ukraine boosts long-range strikes After a series of gains last year, Russia’s advances along the over 600-mile front line have ground to a near halt recently, and Ukraine’s armed forces have launched successful counterstrikes and reclaimed some ground.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
The Scorpio moon meeting Jupiter boosts your happy feelings.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
This problem often intensifies once business leaders decide to scale their AI solutions and move them into production.—
Shekhar Iyer,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Israeli forces seized a 12th-century Crusader castle in southern Lebanon, as Israel intensifies its farthest incursion into the country in 26 years, despite a nominal ceasefire.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Teams must understand that AI augments rather than replaces expertise.—
Hope Frank,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
That turns the chatbot from a substitute for care into something that augments the therapeutic alliance between you and your care team.—
Sudheesha Perera,
Time,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escalates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalates. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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