escalate

1 of 2

verb

es·​ca·​late ˈe-skə-ˌlāt 

nonstandard

-skyə- 

escalated; escalating

intransitive verb

: to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope

… a little war threatens to escalate into a huge ugly one …

—Mike Mansfield

transitive verb

: expand sense 2

escalation

ˌe-skə-ˈlā-shən 

nonstandard -skyə-

noun

escalatory

ˈe-skə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 

nonstandard -skyə-

adjective

escalation

2 of 2

noun

es·​ca·​la·​tion

plural -s

1

: an increase (as in the price of an article or in a ship's tonnage) that counteracts an unjust discrepancy (as between the price of a product and the cost of material or between the tonnage of one nation's ships and that of another when both are regulated by the same treaty)

specifically : the adjustment of prices proportionally and usually periodically and automatically to an alteration (such as a rise) in the cost of materials or a similar adjustment of wages to an alteration in the cost of living

2

: an increasing in extent, volume, number, amount, or scope

escalatory

ˈeskələˌtōrē 

-ˌtȯr-, 

÷-kyə-

adjective

Synonyms of escalate

Verb

• increase
• rise
• accelerate
• swell
• expand

Examples of escalate in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Even as retirees’ savings and other public money piled up at Ueno, worries were escalating inside the central bank. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Packer, who was on a brief stint at the American University of Paris, and Tamirat, who is also affiliated with the university and lives in France full-time, also talk about the role of the police in escalating violence. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2026

As mobs storm Jewish neighborhoods and places of worship, Police Lieutenant Wilhelm Krützfeld (Owen) and his partner, Kai Lehmann (Pettyfer), investigate the murder of a Jewish doctor amid the escalating chaos. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026

Now, while the faculty union has escalated its fight and is preparing for a potential strike, five other groups reached tentative agreements with the university in October. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from escalator

Noun

escalator + -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing escalate

• de-escalate
• re-escalate

Rhymes for escalate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

escalate

verb

es·​ca·​late ˈes-kə-ˌlāt 

escalated; escalating

: to increase in extent, volume, or scope : expand

escalate prices

escalation

ˌes-kə-ˈlā-shən 

noun