as in expansion
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Recent Examples of escalation
The observation policy was already walked back What makes this story irresistible is the sheer escalation — an F-bomb on the Olympic stage, a governing body scrambling to respond within hours and a policy that collapsed almost as fast as it was created.
—
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Feb. 2026
Courts, civil society, elections, local governments, protests, boycotts and independent media can constrain leaders and prevent escalation.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
Others fear any escalation will deepen human suffering.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The immigration crackdown has featured a cycle of escalation in which armed officers are met by angry protesters, leading to dramatic clashes.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
Indulgence of such desires can lead to an escalation of the hunger, rather than contented satisfaction.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Policymakers therefore have an opportunity to align innovation with safety by establishing baseline standards for pharmacist accessibility, medication review processes, data interoperability, and escalation pathways for clinical concerns.
—Mark A. Munger, STAT, 13 Feb. 2026
The move marked a significant escalation in the administration’s fight against green policies and its efforts to deny climate change.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
Versions of this escalation are familiar features of many sites—platforms that offer people incentives, social and financial and otherwise, to edge toward extremism.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Feb. 2026
Courts, civil society, elections, local governments, protests, boycotts and independent media can constrain leaders and prevent escalation.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
Others fear any escalation will deepen human suffering.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The immigration crackdown has featured a cycle of escalation in which armed officers are met by angry protesters, leading to dramatic clashes.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
Indulgence of such desires can lead to an escalation of the hunger, rather than contented satisfaction.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Policymakers therefore have an opportunity to align innovation with safety by establishing baseline standards for pharmacist accessibility, medication review processes, data interoperability, and escalation pathways for clinical concerns.
—Mark A. Munger, STAT, 13 Feb. 2026
The move marked a significant escalation in the administration’s fight against green policies and its efforts to deny climate change.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
Versions of this escalation are familiar features of many sites—platforms that offer people incentives, social and financial and otherwise, to edge toward extremism.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalation
Noun
-
Private consumption drove the modest expansion, offsetting weakness in exports and public spending, according to data from Japan’s Cabinet Office.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The agency's unilateral expansion of government power is dangerous, and not only for immigrant families.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The 73-year-old launched his presidency in 2023 by scrapping fuel subsidies and removing a currency peg, changes that initially drove up inflation but have since helped to attract investment and boost economic growth.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Last month, job growth was stronger than expected and inflation was lower.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In economics, if productivity is strong, then growth can run hot without stoking inflation — this means the Fed doesn’t have to step in with interest rate hikes.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
-
If left untreated, scale can cause yellowing leaves, stunted growth, and eventually death.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Membership without full rights on the first day of accession is nothing new - most countries from the 2004 enlargement and later faced long transition periods to achieve, for example, the right of their citizens to work across the bloc.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The leadership development system can be integrated with other interventions, such as succession planning, work with an external coach, recognition, and job enlargement, to name a few.—
Scott J. Allen,
Big Think,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The sun shines brighter over Madison Square Garden these days, especially during the playoffs, when long-dormant expectation creeps back in.—
Tom Kludt,
Vanity Fair,
17 Feb. 2026
-
As cancer creeps into younger and younger people's lives, few roadmaps exist for how to proceed.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
What is far more troubling than an underperforming quarterback, however, is the amplification of rhetoric that fuels division and prejudice.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Much of it was lost to the audience, since reverberant amplification gave heroic heft to Blanchett’s voice at the cost of intelligibility.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension, and constipation may also be common symptoms.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
-
This produces gases like hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane, which can cause abdominal pain, bloating, distension, and diarrhea.18 Several methods can reduce compounds that cause gastrointestinal discomfort.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
12 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The rise has been especially stark in cities that have been roiled by enforcement surges and protests.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Kwon argues that the proxy for that speculation is the rise in options trading, as opposed to traditional buy-hold-sell retail investor behavior.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escalation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalation. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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