escalate

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

—Arnold Abrams

transitive verb

: expand sense 2

escalation

ˌe-skə-ˈlā-shən 

 nonstandard  -skyə-

noun

escalatory

ˈe-skə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 

 nonstandard  -skyə-

adjective

Synonyms

• increase
• rise
• accelerate
• swell
• expand
• intensify

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 on the Web

As the fight escalated within the embassy, Manes engaged in an increasingly open clash with Bukele. —T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025

His demand escalated to a chant. —Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

The property racked up 22 citations in the last four years, three of which escalated to charges against the key officers of the company that owns the Midtown building. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025

There’s an ever-escalating race for states (and countries) to compete to offer the best value for productions. —Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from escalator

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing escalate

• de-escalate
• re-escalate

Rhymes for escalate

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

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