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 AbramsExamples 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
His behaviors escalated to new levels in the spring of last year, prompting Richtman to apply to 21 different youth residential care facilities in Iowa and other states.
—Michaela Ramm, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
This surely explains why, in the course of the past week, the President has been escalating his threats and targeting its endowment directly by suggesting in a social-media post that Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
In a February report to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the commission suggested reducing the number of years that rooftop solar owners can receive credits at the retail electric rate — similar to what Calderon’s bill would do — as a remedy for escalating power costs.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
As tariff talks continue, geopolitical tensions escalate, and the global economy wavers, investors are gravitating towards store-of-value investments.
—Becca Bratcher, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
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Michaela Ramm, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
This surely explains why, in the course of the past week, the President has been escalating his threats and targeting its endowment directly by suggesting in a social-media post that Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
In a February report to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the commission suggested reducing the number of years that rooftop solar owners can receive credits at the retail electric rate — similar to what Calderon’s bill would do — as a remedy for escalating power costs.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
As tariff talks continue, geopolitical tensions escalate, and the global economy wavers, investors are gravitating towards store-of-value investments.
—Becca Bratcher, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escalate. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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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