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

The hiring of Liberatore is the latest move in an escalating feud between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Musk, who used to be good friends but have turned into bitter rivals. —Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025

Both nations' military deployments indicate that the region could remain a potential flashpoint, with further operations or incidents possibly escalating tensions. —Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025

The incursion was by far the largest-ever of Russian drones into NATO airspace, a move that has alarmed allied countries and fueled fears the war is escalating and spreading. —Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025

For a month, the dispute escalated. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 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