Escalate

To increase in size, amount, or seriousness. For example, if a small argument between friends gets bigger and turns into a big fight, we say it has escalated.

Examples

• When the arguments between the two friends continued, their disagreement began to escalate, making everyone around them uncomfortable.
• During the soccer game, the excitement started to escalate as both teams scored goals and the crowd cheered louder.
• If we don’t fix the leaky faucet soon, the problem will escalate, and we might end up with a lot of water damage.

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Antonyms