escalate

[ es-kuh-leyt ]

verb (used with or without object)

, es·ca·lat·ed, es·ca·lat·ing.

1. to increase in intensity, magnitude, etc.:

   to escalate a war; a time when prices escalate.

   Synonyms: swell, mount, advance

   Antonyms: fall, decrease, lower

2. to raise, lower, rise, or descend on or as if on an escalator.

escalate

/ ˈɛskəˌleɪt /

verb

1. to increase or be increased in extent, intensity, or magnitude

   prices escalated because of inflation

   to escalate a war

Pronunciation Note

See percolate.

Derived Forms

• ˌescaˈlation, noun

Other Words From

• esca·lation noun
• es·ca·la·to·ry [es, -k, uh, -l, uh, -tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
• non·esca·lating adjective
• non·esca·la·tory adjective
• re·esca·late verb reescalated reescalating
• rees·ca·lation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of escalate¹

First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator

Word History and Origins

Origin of escalate¹

C20: back formation from escalator

Example Sentences

Some hoped he would follow through on his dovish campaign rhetoric, others thought he might escalate conflict in the Middle East.

From Salon

Then, in response to Trump’s claim that during their phone call, he asked—in some accounts, warned—Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesman denied that the two had spoken on the phone at all.

From Slate

The city is in a drought watch, and Iscol expects that these restrictions will soon escalate.

From Slate

White doesn’t keep a lawyer on retainer, but she knows lawyers who are “willing to glance at something I’ve received in my email inbox and reach out to offer support should one of those threats escalate into something more tangible” — which hasn’t yet happened.

From Los Angeles Times

She accepted at the inquiry into the scandal that it was "extremely disappointing" that it took the ITV drama to escalate the issue.

From BBC

Related Words

• expand
• grow
• heighten
• intensify
• mount
• raise
• rise
• step up
• widen