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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 escalate
The company, a spin-off from the University of Oxford, has been working on optical computing with a clear mission to meet escalating demand for computing with AI’s surge.
—
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 30 Apr. 2026
Use-of-force incidents escalate instead of de-escalate.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
The confrontation escalated into a physical struggle when the officer moved to take the man into custody.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Tonight, April 30, a high-speed stream of solar wind may escalate geomagnetic activity, resulting in auroras as far south as Illinois.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 30 Apr. 2026
Use-of-force incidents escalate instead of de-escalate.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
The confrontation escalated into a physical struggle when the officer moved to take the man into custody.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Tonight, April 30, a high-speed stream of solar wind may escalate geomagnetic activity, resulting in auroras as far south as Illinois.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalate
Verb
-
The 76ers led for all but 31 seconds in the game, increasing a five-point halftime edge to 18 in the third quarter.—
Kyle Hightower,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
Her aunt plans to pressure the City Council to pass measures to increase building safety.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Even accelerating a college degree to three years from four, can save students $100,000 dollars or more at many schools.—
Matthew G. Andersson,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
-
Conventional intuition suggests that the most efficient way to accelerate a chemical reaction is to give reactants unhindered access to a highly active catalyst.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
But they are expected to rise with tightening supplies of fuel and fertilizer.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
To address rising demand of lithium The USGS projects that global production capacity will double by 2029 to address rising demand from technology companies.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Moon moves through your 9th House of Perspective, expanding how your ideas are received.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
At Fremantle, Katrosar built and expanded a global advertising business across streaming, broadcast, social and branded partnerships.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Veneers and crowns can cause temporary sensitivity or mild discomfort, while implants may lead to swelling and soreness in the first few days.—
K.H. Koehler,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While a warm, four-bar bassline chugs alongside dubby stabs and bouncy swells, BEA1991’s vocals switch from nonchalant monotone to falsetto in a way that sounds like an involuntary yelp of joy.—
Reid BG,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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,
1 May 2026
-
Today the precision of offside decisions can be augmented with the use of technologies such as video assistant referee (VAR) with semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), which help reduce controversial calls.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Pick up Martha Stewart’s go-to glow-boosting makeup hack, the L'Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion, to shine this season, along with the coveted Dyson Airwrap to get salon-quality blowouts at home.—
Clara McMahon,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
-
This is certainly a positive day for those who are working or doing anything to boost their health.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Member associations had appealed to soccer’s governing body to raise prize money because of cost concerns.—
Anne M. Peterson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
That duplication has raised concerns about staff consolidations and widespread newsroom layoffs.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalate. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
