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
Monday's attack in Kabul was the deadliest in a conflict that has been escalating between the two neighbors since late February.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
Simply put, if a human operator senses something is going wrong, the robot should react before the error escalates.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026
Taleblu underscored how the importance of the Strait of Hormuz has only escalated since the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s because of the Iranian regime’s asymmetric military and maritime strategies, including fast-attack water craft, drones, and mines.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
Thousands of Los Angeles Unified teachers, staff and administrators rallied Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles as union leaders moved towards a strike, escalating pressure on the district after nearly a year of contract negotiations.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
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Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
Simply put, if a human operator senses something is going wrong, the robot should react before the error escalates.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026
Taleblu underscored how the importance of the Strait of Hormuz has only escalated since the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s because of the Iranian regime’s asymmetric military and maritime strategies, including fast-attack water craft, drones, and mines.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
Thousands of Los Angeles Unified teachers, staff and administrators rallied Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles as union leaders moved towards a strike, escalating pressure on the district after nearly a year of contract negotiations.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escalate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
escalate
verb
es·ca·late
ˈes-kə-ˌlāt
escalated; escalating
: to increase in extent, volume, or scope : expand
escalate prices
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