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
That escalated into a shoving match that spilled into the sideline, causing players from both teams to intervene.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Investigators said the argument escalated into a physical fight when the female suspect began swinging and striking the victim in the chest and head and then pulling her hair.
—Alexa Ashwell, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2026
The foundation also wants to adjust that trigger amount annually for inflation and allow deductions of certain revenues, all to reflect the escalating costs of staging a world-class marathon, spokeswoman Meg Treat said.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Naz Reid nearly escalated the exchange into a brawl, but the parties were ultimately separated enough to avoid ejections.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
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Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Investigators said the argument escalated into a physical fight when the female suspect began swinging and striking the victim in the chest and head and then pulling her hair.
—Alexa Ashwell, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2026
The foundation also wants to adjust that trigger amount annually for inflation and allow deductions of certain revenues, all to reflect the escalating costs of staging a world-class marathon, spokeswoman Meg Treat said.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Naz Reid nearly escalated the exchange into a brawl, but the parties were ultimately separated enough to avoid ejections.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 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 4 May. 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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