escalate
verb
es·ca·late
ˈe-skə-ˌlāt 
nonstandard
-skyə-
escalated; escalating
: to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope
a little war threatens to escalate into a huge ugly one—
Arnold Abrams
Arnold AbramsExamples of escalate in a Sentence
The conflict has escalated into an all-out war.
a time of escalating tensions
We are trying not to escalate the violence.
Salaries of leading executives have continued to escalate.
The cold weather has escalated fuel prices.
Recent Examples on the Web
What first started as a day of joyriding through the city quickly escalates into an adventure of revenge and exposed secrets.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
That fee will escalate incrementally by $5 per net ton per year until April 2028.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 6 Oct. 2025
In fact, research shows that such tactics often escalate crowd behavior.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
His crimes escalated to murder, and in 1957, he was arrested after killing Bernice Worden, a local hardware store owner, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
—Aya Al-Hakim, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
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.
Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
That fee will escalate incrementally by $5 per net ton per year until April 2028.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 6 Oct. 2025
In fact, research shows that such tactics often escalate crowd behavior.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
His crimes escalated to murder, and in 1957, he was arrested after killing Bernice Worden, a local hardware store owner, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
—Aya Al-Hakim, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escalate. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
escalate
verb
es·ca·late
ˈes-kə-ˌlāt
escalated; escalating
: to increase in extent, volume, or scope : expand
escalate prices
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share