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—
Arnold Abrams
Arnold AbramsSynonyms
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
Melting ice is exposing remains of missing mountaineers and hikers all over the world, with an escalating number just in the past few years, according to CBS News.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
Police are to start with presence and communication to try to de-escalate crowd situations, but can use pepper spray and other tools if the situation escalates.
—Ashley Luthern, Journal Sentinel, 9 July 2024
Their wealthy employer suspects the cook’s coup is part of a more sinister agenda, and mind games between master and servant escalate into boisterous class warfare.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 9 July 2024
Despite major setbacks for the Conservatives, who presided over a period of rapidly escalating transphobia across the U.K., LGBTQ+ voters have been reticent to embrace Starmer’s Labour government on its first day.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 5 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for escalate 
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
Police are to start with presence and communication to try to de-escalate crowd situations, but can use pepper spray and other tools if the situation escalates.
—Ashley Luthern, Journal Sentinel, 9 July 2024
Their wealthy employer suspects the cook’s coup is part of a more sinister agenda, and mind games between master and servant escalate into boisterous class warfare.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 9 July 2024
Despite major setbacks for the Conservatives, who presided over a period of rapidly escalating transphobia across the U.K., LGBTQ+ voters have been reticent to embrace Starmer’s Labour government on its first day.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 5 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for escalate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'escalate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near escalate
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escalate. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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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