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 …

—Mike Mansfield

transitive verb

: expand sense 2

escalation

ˌe-skə-ˈlā-shən 

nonstandard -skyə-

noun

escalatory

ˈe-skə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 

nonstandard -skyə-

adjective

Synonyms of escalate

• increase
• rise
• accelerate
• swell
• expand

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

The leaders agreed to a rollback of tariffs and export controls for 12 months, easing bilateral tensions that have escalated this year. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025

The incident escalated, and Johnson was shot in the head. —Briauna Brown, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

The dispute, which escalated over the weekend, comes months after the death of her husband, founding Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 16 Nov. 2025

The Context Domestic disputes are highly sensitive situations that can escalate into violence, highlighting the need to approach them with as much care as possible to protect lives. —MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 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