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
In many ways, the city became the starting point for the escalating federal response.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
Some of the demonstrations, which came in response to a spate of immigration sweeps in Los Angeles late last week, escalated into clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 8 June 2025
That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 June 2025
Large groups of protesters quickly assembled near raid sites on both days, leading to traffic disruptions and escalating tensions with federal authorities.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
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James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
Some of the demonstrations, which came in response to a spate of immigration sweeps in Los Angeles late last week, escalated into clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 8 June 2025
That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 June 2025
Large groups of protesters quickly assembled near raid sites on both days, leading to traffic disruptions and escalating tensions with federal authorities.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 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 12 Jun. 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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