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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Recent Examples of stoking
The tactics are stoking further fear and distrust in immigrant communities, prompting residents to question strangers at their doors.
—
Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
The Post’s staff hadn’t seen or heard from Lewis during or after Wednesday’s layoffs, but he was spotted Thursday walking the red carpet at a glitzy pre-Super Bowl event in San Francisco, further stoking outrage among the newsroom.
—Andrew Kirell, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
The Patriots and Seahawks will meet again on Sunday, in Super Bowl LX, stoking memories of their go-round.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will resume staff cuts that were briefly paused during January’s severe winter storm, according to two FEMA managers, stoking concern across the agency over its ability to address disasters with fewer workers.
—Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
This will be our last week stoking the fires.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2026
But the already-complex Super Bowl picture is further clouded by tensions and palpable fears about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents descending on the area, stoking fear with immigrant communities who have seen more aggressive and visible ICE activity at South Bay courthouses and jails.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
Pezeshkian has blamed the West and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for stoking tensions within Iran, the country’s Student News Network, a hard-line news website close to the regime, reported Saturday.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
More significant are the thermal and electric portions of the metric, which can indicate what is stoking EECI performance.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 30 Jan. 2026
Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
The Post’s staff hadn’t seen or heard from Lewis during or after Wednesday’s layoffs, but he was spotted Thursday walking the red carpet at a glitzy pre-Super Bowl event in San Francisco, further stoking outrage among the newsroom.
—Andrew Kirell, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
The Patriots and Seahawks will meet again on Sunday, in Super Bowl LX, stoking memories of their go-round.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will resume staff cuts that were briefly paused during January’s severe winter storm, according to two FEMA managers, stoking concern across the agency over its ability to address disasters with fewer workers.
—Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
This will be our last week stoking the fires.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2026
But the already-complex Super Bowl picture is further clouded by tensions and palpable fears about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents descending on the area, stoking fear with immigrant communities who have seen more aggressive and visible ICE activity at South Bay courthouses and jails.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
Pezeshkian has blamed the West and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for stoking tensions within Iran, the country’s Student News Network, a hard-line news website close to the regime, reported Saturday.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
More significant are the thermal and electric portions of the metric, which can indicate what is stoking EECI performance.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stoking
Verb
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Now, decoupling supply chains are driving manufacturing growth in the West once more, electric vehicles and home heat pumps need to be plugged in, and the makers of AI’s large language models have ever-increasing power needs.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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The move marks a broader trend from the brand, which has been increasing its visibility to new markets through the world of sports, and, at the moment, none is hotter than that of F1.—
Blake Buettner,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Future versions are projected to extend driving range to around 310–372 miles (500–600 kilometers), expanding suitability beyond short-range applications.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Bill Gates named in Epstein files Documents released from the Epstein files indicate that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That could be a signal that the pace of layoffs is accelerating.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Alphabet reported fantastic fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, proof that its eye-popping spending on artificial intelligence is accelerating growth across all its businesses.—
,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Malaysia and Singapore, where markets have reached saturation, operators focused on boosting user activity and revenue generation rather than adding subscribers.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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And boosting, not slashing, anti-hunger programs.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Preservation was part of the conversation when the two connected, but both were also focused on revitalization and augmenting the structure’s old-world charms with something fresh and modern.—
Lina Lecaro,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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The nearly 14-year transit is augmenting the world and our lives.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The agent is seen raising the pepper spray can, pointing it towards the crowd in what looked to be an attempt to keep them at a distance.—
Gio Insignares,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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In an email to The Times, Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos said the governor had a strong record of fighting for workers’ rights, including raising the minimum wage and expanding sick leave and other worker protections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stoking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stoking. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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