STOKING Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

stoking

verb

present participle of stoke

as in increasing

to make greater in size, amount, or number hopefully, offering stock options will stoke workers' commitment to the company

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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 stoking Global conflicts and the impact of climate change are driving up the costs of shipping worldwide, underlining concerns over the fragility of international supply chains and stoking inflation. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Democratic primary turnout has been historically high from Wisconsin and Michigan to Georgia and Texas, stoking party hopes for the midterm elections. — Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 Once again, international organizations removed Hamas and their share of the blame for Gaza’s suffering from the conversation, stoking the anti-Israel narrative. — Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Online influencers are both stoking and exploiting this uncertainty, turning health misinformation into a business model. — Avi Tuschman, STAT, 13 Aug. 2026 Sony clearly wants to thread the needle of appropriately characterizing the new film while stoking audience nostalgia for its counterpart. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026 Sharon [Waxman, a contributing writer] said the culture-war stuff was dead, which was a smart way of stoking it all over again. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 While shocked at Sharon’s death, reports suggested that most people didn’t panic about violence until Manson followers Krenwinkel, Watson and Leslie Van Houten murdered the LaBiancas, stoking fear in the general public. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 Its rise and fall was dramatic, with a deadly riot in 1880 stoking anti-Chinese sentiment nationwide. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 6 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stoking

Verb

While increasing volumes of the oil are finding routes out of the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, keeping energy prices elevated and pushing up global inflation.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Alternatively, perhaps Arsenal’s actions are driven by an increasing pressure to sell.

— James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

Summary Hugging Face's latest report highlights a rapidly expanding community distribution layer for open models, converting raw weights into runnable formats like GGUF.

— Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Arkansas Baptist College, a private, historically Black college located several blocks east of Little Rock's Central High School, is expanding its student housing with the acquisition of a La Quinta Inn in downtown Little Rock.

— Dale Ellis, Arkansas Online, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of expanding

Verb

About one minute after takeoff, the Learjet 55 turned to the left and started a violent dive, descending at nearly 10,000 feet per minute while accelerating to more than 275 MPH, according to information collected by investigators.

— Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
Adoption is accelerating as the proverbial wheels are falling off the bus.

— Jason Sabin, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of accelerating

Verb

Democrats are eagerly boosting Peltola, who has won a statewide race before -- elected to represent Alaska’s at-large congressional district in 2022.

— Emily Chang, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
The case was brought in 2023 by a group of 29 state attorneys general who allege that Meta intentionally designed its platforms to get young people addicted, boosting its business and harming mental health of children and teens in their states.

— Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of boosting

Verb

Dana Williams, American High School The highest-performing students are augmenting their brainpower with AI.

— Dana Williams, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
North Korea has also become an industrious manufacturer of war drones, augmenting Moscow’s capacity to produce the unmanned aerial vehicles that have defined the conflict.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of augmenting

Verb

The spending is raising questions about Denver's decision to hire outside lawyers for the cases, its decision to agree to the firm's hourly rates and how quickly the legal bills have exceeded the amount the city originally agreed to pay.

— Brian Maass, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
That, in turn, makes less ground transport available, increasing the cost of shipping overland and raising the price on a wide range of goods that never even transited the canal.

— Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of raising

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stokes

stoking

stole

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“Stoking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stoking. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of stoking

verb

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