1
as in to increase
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
2
as in to accelerate
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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of escalate
The incident comes after months of escalating tensions between the university’s administration and pro-Palestinian students who have demanded leaders divest from Israel.
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Taylor Romine, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
As the frenzy escalates, though, security specialists note that there is no evidence of a threat or indication that the aerial vehicles people are seeing are anything unusual.
—Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
Then, as the conflict in Gaza spilled into the surrounding region, Israel escalated from targeting weapons depots in Syria to systematically eliminating high-value Iranian and Hezbollah assets and personnel there.
—Nicole Grajewski, The Atlantic, 3 Dec. 2024
As the Russian counteroffensive in Kursk escalates, Russian losses could escalate, too.
—David Axe, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for escalate 
Taylor Romine, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
As the frenzy escalates, though, security specialists note that there is no evidence of a threat or indication that the aerial vehicles people are seeing are anything unusual.
—Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
Then, as the conflict in Gaza spilled into the surrounding region, Israel escalated from targeting weapons depots in Syria to systematically eliminating high-value Iranian and Hezbollah assets and personnel there.
—Nicole Grajewski, The Atlantic, 3 Dec. 2024
As the Russian counteroffensive in Kursk escalates, Russian losses could escalate, too.
—David Axe, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for escalate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalate
Verb
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By all measures, the company exceeded all expectations thanks to customer participation and decided to significantly increase the initial pledge to $11 million.Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
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The presence of dogs may also increase levels of distraction and stress for other, non-dog-toting employees.Jessica Pierce, TIME, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In 2021, to fuel its growth and success, the founders bestowed the honor of accelerating the company to Rich Berry, a business school graduate with extensive experience in brand management specializing in the frozen foods industry.Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
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The car is accelerating its transformation from simply a people-mover into a third space—a place for relaxation.Jon Kirchner, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Studies reveal that in recent years, burnout among women has risen from 38% to 42% - a concern that is both pertinent and widespread.Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
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Wait a few minutes, and the Cold Moon will rise beneath it.Jamie Carter, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Plans are underway to expand the facility in Cancún and build partnerships with hospitals and research institutions across the globe.William Mullane, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
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While these young men shifted away from Harris in unanticipated margins, Hogg says Democrats' losses this election are bigger than just one voting bloc -- and hopes that extreme candor and commitments to those groups will not only rebuild but expand the party.Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Common symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, trouble breathing when lying down, and swelling of the extremities and stomach.7 Muscle cramping is another symptom—specifically leg cramps that come on at night, known as nocturnal leg cramps.Laura Schober, Health, 8 Dec. 2024
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Serious health complications are possible, especially in children younger than 5, such as pneumonia — the most common cause of death from measles in young children — and swelling of the brain, which can trigger convulsions and lead to deafness or intellectual disability.Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Despite these differences, their visions converge on several points: the necessity of building systems that better understand and interact with the physical world, the importance of responsible AI development, and the transformative potential of AI to augment human capabilities.Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
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And after that will come the impact, whether that’s lower costs, faster design processes and production, jobs that are no longer needed, human expertise that is augmented by technology or something else.Evan Clark, WWD, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The rhetoric coming from the White House was less hostile, but getting tough on China had become a political necessity for whoever was president, and the trade war only intensified.Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
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China's naval maneuvers near Taiwan intensified over the weekend, with Taiwan's Defense Ministry reporting 14 warships, seven military aircraft, and four balloons in the region.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Details won’t be known for a while, but the news boosted Chinese stocks.Michael Foster, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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Other safe options Pelinka could be looking into is acquiring role players on mid-sized contracts, ideally looking to boost their production defensively and add depth behind the team's star leaders LeBron James and Anthony Davis.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near escalate
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalate. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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