ESCALATES Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

escalates

verb

present tense third-person singular of escalate

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of escalates These experts can potentially help restructure payments and reduce what's owed before the situation escalates to the courtroom. —

Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 The move escalates the president's bid to place new restrictions on voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. —

Zac Anderson, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026 The state would never allow a commercial airline pilot to fly without layers of preventive safeguards, yet its DUI enforcement often escalates only after irreversible harm has taken place. —

Sean M. Cleary, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026 The algorithm, and the economy that supports it, first escalates speech that overstates the emotions that underlie it. —

Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026 This is where demand destruction escalates in April. —

Jordan Blum, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026 The argument escalates into a physical altercation with the women pushing, punching and pulling hair. —

Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026 As the siege escalates, loyalties are tested and selfless sacrifices are made, leading to a desperate fight for survival where not everyone will emerge alive. —

Selome Hailu, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026 The action by Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights, a local group that has led the resistance to the project, escalates the fight over the 240 apartments and provides a test of state environmental law. —

Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalates

Verb

This increases your visibility to potential rescuers.

— NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a letter that a rearview image that doesn’t display properly reduces the driver’s view behind the vehicle, which increases the risk of a crash.

— Michelle Chapman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026