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
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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
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Recent Examples of escalates
Providing the exact location of a potential burglary, suspect description and vehicle description (including the make/model/color of the car) will help officers respond quickly before the confrontation escalates to prevent future crime.
—
Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
As diplomacy stalls, brutal fighting grinds along an 800-mile front with heavy Russian casualties, while Ukraine escalates drone strikes deep inside Russian territory.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
So Russia escalates the war in Ukraine to a full-scale war in February of ’22.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
As was the case in the first season as well, the finale escalates to a place of thrilling zaniness, with a little less ultimate emotional gravitas this time around.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
So far, Beef’s episodes have marched on chronologically as the conflict escalates.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
As rivalry escalates into a battle for control, the two women push one another to dangerous extremes.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
For women, that escalates sharply in menopause.
—Katia Riddle, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026
Spending every day together, Howard and Nancy strike up a friendship that escalates into an affair after a drunken night celebrating the show’s wrap.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
As diplomacy stalls, brutal fighting grinds along an 800-mile front with heavy Russian casualties, while Ukraine escalates drone strikes deep inside Russian territory.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
So Russia escalates the war in Ukraine to a full-scale war in February of ’22.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
As was the case in the first season as well, the finale escalates to a place of thrilling zaniness, with a little less ultimate emotional gravitas this time around.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
So far, Beef’s episodes have marched on chronologically as the conflict escalates.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
As rivalry escalates into a battle for control, the two women push one another to dangerous extremes.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
For women, that escalates sharply in menopause.
—Katia Riddle, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026
Spending every day together, Howard and Nancy strike up a friendship that escalates into an affair after a drunken night celebrating the show’s wrap.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalates
Verb
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This greatly increases the surface area available for electrochemical reactions and enables faster charging and discharging while maintaining high power density in an extremely small footprint.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
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Across the spectrum, increases to bonus payouts ranged from 6% to 43%, with a median of 13%, and an average increase of 12%.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Indeed, emerging evidence suggests that early detection and aggressive treatment of psychiatric symptoms may improve long-term outcomes by delaying the onset of clinical neurodegeneration and mitigating the cumulative biological stress that accelerates brain aging.—
Eric J. Nestler,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
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Collagen loss accelerates, cell turnover slows, and deep wrinkles become more prominent.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rare earth demand rises The ubiquity of rare earth elements means demand keeps rising.—
Anton L. Delgado,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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From the fiery lake of damnation, Lucifer rises as Satan to seduce humanity’s first parents, Adam and Eve, in the flawless Garden of Eden, triggering the Fall of Man and the loss of Paradise itself.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The deal also expands surveillance capabilities through drones, helicopters and electronic monitoring to better prevent crossing attempts.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Apr. 2026
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These rubbery, firm nodules are called keloids, which are poorly understood skin growths that result from wound healing that goes awry and expands beyond the borders of the original wound.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And as the brightening world starts to resume familiar form, the glorious chorus swells with the songs of blue tits, goldfinches, chaffinches.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
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What really surprised the rather unflappable ISS and Glass Lewis was a tax reimbursement of $334 million that swells the total payout to $886 million.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In fact, someone older might give you advice that ultimately boosts your income or helps you in a practical or financial way.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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Environmental health researchers increasingly recommend that people use HEPA air purifiers in their homes to lower their exposure to particulate matter, but few studies have examined whether using them boosts mental function.—
Doug Brugge,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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So a familiar roster with a familiar coaching staff slogging through a nightmarish first month only intensifies the scrutiny.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Drought intensifies after record-dry start to 2026 A dearth of rain and snow in the first three months of 2026 has helped stoke this spring’s drought.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This is the first of a new type of rideshare program flying to that orbit that augments SpaceX’s Transporter program that flies to SSO.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
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Any presence on the interior that augments the pass rush would be welcome, no matter the primary position.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escalates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalates. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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