escalate

verb es·ca·late \ ˈe-skə-ˌlāt , nonstandard -skyə- \

Definition of escalate

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
—Arnold Abrams

transitive verb

:expand 2

—

escalation

play \ˌe-skə-ˈlā-shən, nonstandard -skyə-\ noun

—

escalatory

play \ˈe-skə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē, nonstandard -skyə-\ adjective

See escalate defined for English-language learners

See escalate defined for kids

Examples 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 of escalate from the Web

Prices have been volatile amid escalating biofuel consumption targets.

— mario parker, Bloomberg.com, "Icahn Sees Biofuels Fight Deepening as Refinery Losses Mount," 29 Aug. 2017
The apparent pause in North Korea’s belligerent behavior raised hopes in Seoul and Washington that Mr. Kim’s government might be de-escalating the standoff.

— choe sang-hun, New York Times, "North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles From Its East Coast," 25 Aug. 2017
Their problems escalated during promotion of their 1954 film Living It Up, when Look magazine cropped Martin out of a photo, according to USA Today.

— maria carter, Country Living, "Inside the 20-Year Feud of Legendary Comedy Duo Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin," 22 Aug. 2017
Rumors of Bannon’s imminent exit had reached a fever pitch this week as clashes between the conservative media mogul and his colleagues escalated.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Steve Bannon Is Leaving the White House," 18 Aug. 2017
Today President Trump warned that if North Korea does not stop escalating its nuclear program, ‘

— laura bradley, HWD, "Colbert Begs Trump: Shut Up About North Korea Before You Get Us All Killed," 9 Aug. 2017
North Korea first escalated the war of words Monday, in the wake of U.N. sanctions against the country for its nuclear- and ballistic-weapons programs.

— jen kirby, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump: North Korean Threats Will Be Met With ‘Fire and Fury Like the World Has Never Seen’," 8 Aug. 2017
Even when not fatal, broken windows policing can escalate to the brutal use of force in the most mundane of police encounters.

— Longreads, "The War on Drugs Is a War on Women of Color," 3 Aug. 2017
That person helps escalate your axe throwing learning curve and ensures safety is the top priority.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Forget darts. Flying axes sounds like a better bar game, right?," 27 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'escalate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of escalate

back-formation from escalator

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1944

See Words from the same year

escalate Synonyms

Synonyms

accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, balloon, boom, build up, burgeon (also bourgeon), climb, enlarge, increase, expand, gain, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate, rise, roll up, snowball, spread, swell, wax

Antonyms

contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane

Related Words

jump, rocket, skyrocket, surge; heighten, intensify, redouble; blow up, bulk, distend, inflate, puff (up); crescendo, crest, peak

Near Antonyms

abbreviate, abridge, curtail, shorten; compress, condense, constrict, contract; cut back, retrench

ESCALATE Defined for English Language Learners

escalate

verb

Definition of escalate for English Language Learners

: to become worse or to make (something) worse or more severe
: to become greater or higher or to make (something) greater or higher

Learn More about escalate

See words that rhyme with escalate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for escalate Spanish Central: Translation of escalate Nglish: Translation of escalate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of escalate for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up escalate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

escalate

Definition of escalate

escalation

escalatory

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of escalate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of escalate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of escalate

escalate Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

ESCALATE Defined for English Language Learners

escalate

Definition of escalate for English Language Learners

Learn More about escalate

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066