heighten

A foreign ministry spokesman reiterated that message in a press briefing Tuesday, saying economic warfare will only heighten tensions and could disrupt the global economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Temperatures are forecast to rise, and wind later this week could heighten conditions for fire to spread more easily, according to the National Weather Service in Spokane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Even without a new product launch today, Huawei's intent is clear — and its trajectory will likely heighten US concerns."

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

"Geopolitical conflicts significantly heighten the risks faced by those at sea," he added.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

Hunger can heighten perception, but not when combined with extreme fatigue; I suppose all my senses were very much deadened.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Feeding wild birds heightens the risk of disease transmission at feeding locations.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

But out of all the co-creators and producers’ names listed in the drama’s credits, it’s Lindelof’s that heightens our expectations, owing to his outstanding success with his 2019 reinterpretation of “Watchmen.”

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Tehran’s evolving strategy will likely make it harder to reach a durable agreement to end the conflict, and heightens the risk of more-frequent rounds of escalation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Experts say cases of invasive meningococcal disease tend to peak in October to November each year, which further heightens the risk for new university students.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Nothing heightens this false shame, and the awkwardness it occasions, so much as vanity.

From Letters on the Improvement of the Mind, Addressed to a Lady by Hester Chapone

When the researchers restored the receptors to the same neurons, that increased sensitivity was reversed, effectively switching off the heightened pain response.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

The heightened nervousness was underscored by security guards blocking photographers and videojournalists from entering the hospital.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Prices to insure ships in the Persian Gulf have soared back to their highest levels in decades, reflecting the heightened risk of Iranian attacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

As of Monday night, Southern California Edison was considering planned power outages due to heightened wildfire risk for about 5,700 customers, or less than 1% of its total customers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Now cooking was an exercise in heightened anxiety.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

And I’m sure the threat of being sued by your current employer is just heightening any anxiety you already have around the job-hunting process.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

The outbreak is still not under control and is taking place in a conflict zone with very mobile populations – heightening the need for a vaccine to help stop the spread of disease.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

But the Middle East conflict has strained shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for supplies, heightening unease among farmers ahead of the July-October sowing period.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

A super-strength El Niño appears to be taking shape in the Pacific Ocean, heightening concerns that Southern California could be in for an extreme rainy season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

He could feel a heightening of interest in the room.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier