escalate

1 of 2

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

escalation

2 of 2

noun

es·​ca·​la·​tion

plural -s

1

: an increase (as in the price of an article or in a ship's tonnage) that counteracts an unjust discrepancy (as between the price of a product and the cost of material or between the tonnage of one nation's ships and that of another when both are regulated by the same treaty)

specifically : the adjustment of prices proportionally and usually periodically and automatically to an alteration (such as a rise) in the cost of materials or a similar adjustment of wages to an alteration in the cost of living

2

: an increasing in extent, volume, number, amount, or scope

escalatory

ˈeskələˌtōrē 

-ˌtȯr-, 

÷-kyə-

adjective

Synonyms of escalate

Verb

• increase
• rise
• accelerate
• swell
• expand

Examples of escalate in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Trump is hosting Xi in Washington this week as their economic and tech competition is only escalating, especially through an artificial intelligence race. — Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

Without authentic longing, and without any bittersweet complexity to the portrait of one social order replacing another, we’re left with little more than puffs of amusement, enough to escalate your mood but bound to fade by morning. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026

Try the cheap partner-side fixes first, match the mid-tier device to the type of snoring and escalate to a doctor the moment breathing pauses enter the picture. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026

The lawsuit is the latest in the escalating regulatory feud between states and the platforms. — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from escalator

Noun

escalator + -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing escalate

• de-escalate
• re-escalate

Rhymes for escalate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

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