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 …—
Mike Mansfield
Mike MansfieldExamples 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
These confrontations highlight the dangers our agents face daily and the escalating aggression toward law enforcement.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
As the confrontation escalated, agents deployed a flash-bang device while crowds threw bricks and paint cans from rooftops.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Investigators said the teenage couple then stole money from a lockbox or safe at the grandmother's home, which escalated the crime from murder to capital murder.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
London — Two top leaders at the BBC resigned on Sunday amid an escalating scandal over impartiality and bias that plunged Britain’s public broadcaster into one of its biggest crises in recent years.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
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Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
As the confrontation escalated, agents deployed a flash-bang device while crowds threw bricks and paint cans from rooftops.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Investigators said the teenage couple then stole money from a lockbox or safe at the grandmother's home, which escalated the crime from murder to capital murder.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
London — Two top leaders at the BBC resigned on Sunday amid an escalating scandal over impartiality and bias that plunged Britain’s public broadcaster into one of its biggest crises in recent years.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 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 13 Nov. 2025.
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escalate
verb
es·ca·late
ˈes-kə-ˌlāt
escalated; escalating
: to increase in extent, volume, or scope : expand
escalate prices
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