1
as in increasing
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
as the war between the two countries escalated, it threatened to become a global conflict
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accelerating
to make greater in size, amount, or number
the president promised to escalate the government's program to combat the dreaded disease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of escalating
Given the escalating climate risks across the country, Harrison Langley, CEO of MDLR Brands, believes that traditional on-site building is unsustainable.
—
Vanessa Romo, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
Their escalating protests included a strike that forced the cancellation of a performance and a march through Venice joined by workers from other opera houses, reflecting concerns of political interference in artistic decisions.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The press secretary added that the incident was the direct result of escalating political rhetoric from the Left.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 27 Apr. 2026
Trump faces the choice of escalating the conflict, making major concessions to strike a deal, or continuing a stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal wrote.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 26 Apr. 2026
As spring turns to summer, Abu Hayya’s rat problem is both a cause and symptom of escalating health concerns in Gaza.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 25 Apr. 2026
But talks so far have produced no results and the two countries are locked in an escalating standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
—Sam Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Even escalating tensions over the weekend didn't sour stocks too much on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average virtually unchanged and the S & P 500 and Nasdaq Composite down about a quarter percent each.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
Like the best Marx Brothers routines, these books set up a premise that unravels, with escalating absurdity, while kid listeners are given the satisfaction of knowing more than the story’s narrators.
—Elise Broach, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Vanessa Romo, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
Their escalating protests included a strike that forced the cancellation of a performance and a march through Venice joined by workers from other opera houses, reflecting concerns of political interference in artistic decisions.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The press secretary added that the incident was the direct result of escalating political rhetoric from the Left.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 27 Apr. 2026
Trump faces the choice of escalating the conflict, making major concessions to strike a deal, or continuing a stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal wrote.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 26 Apr. 2026
As spring turns to summer, Abu Hayya’s rat problem is both a cause and symptom of escalating health concerns in Gaza.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 25 Apr. 2026
But talks so far have produced no results and the two countries are locked in an escalating standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
—Sam Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Even escalating tensions over the weekend didn't sour stocks too much on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average virtually unchanged and the S & P 500 and Nasdaq Composite down about a quarter percent each.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
Like the best Marx Brothers routines, these books set up a premise that unravels, with escalating absurdity, while kid listeners are given the satisfaction of knowing more than the story’s narrators.
—Elise Broach, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalating
Verb
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These organizations, striving to fill the information gap created by the state government’s increasing drift toward secrecy — can’t rely on taxpayers to pay their bills.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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These changes were to be achieved by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the consumption of meat and eggs, and substituting nonfat milk for whole milk.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The growing fleet is accelerating development by generating large-scale data for Helix, the company’s humanoid AI model, while enabling real-world deployment across research, commercial, and domestic use cases, according to a blog by Figure.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
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Polls show Americans are angry — and rightly so — at accelerating medical bills.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s why David Gallo’s setting, a vista of a fragile boarding house nearly consumed by the rising, sun-blotting, industrial landscape of Pittsburgh, works so effectively here.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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After a faulty cooling system was left to disrepair, rising temperatures resulted in an explosion with the equivalent force of 70-100 tons of TNT.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Southern Anoka County Assistance food shelf (SACA) is expanding to meet a growing need in Columbia Heights.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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The store initially sold ice cream before expanding to chocolates in 1965.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Complications from measles include ear infections, hearing loss, pneumonia, croup, diarrhea, blindness, and swelling of the brain, the CDC said.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Measuring just several tens of cubic millimeters, the new microbattery eliminates many of the safety risks associated with traditional lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion), such as swelling, leakage, and overheating, by avoiding liquid electrolytes.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In further experiments in mice, the researchers found that the type of food appeared to matter, too—eating a fat-rich diet (in this case, corn oil) emerged as key to boosting the T cells’ abilities when compared with carbohydrate- or protein-rich diets.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
29 Apr. 2026
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Florida lawmakers approved a new congressional map Wednesday that would give Republicans a leg up in four more House seats, boosting their chances of keeping control of the chamber amid a nationwide redistricting arms race.—
Patrick Marley,
Washington Post,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Supporters’ contributions help change students’ lives by relieving financial burdens, augmenting the resources that support student learning inside and outside the classroom, the release said.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
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New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has said that augmenting the trenches is a priority.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escalating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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