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
The ruling represents the latest legal setback for Newsom, who warned that the June 8 deployment would inflame tensions and escalate unrest.
—Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2025
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was last seen trading 0.6% higher, with most sectors except oil and gas — an industry already being impacted by the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran — in positive territory.
—Ganesh Rao,chloe Taylor,jenni Reid, CNBC, 20 June 2025
As the conflict escalated this week, the U.S. deployed additional fighter jets and refueling tankers to the Middle East.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 19 June 2025
But this was different, the situation escalating by the hour, then by the minute.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
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Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2025
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was last seen trading 0.6% higher, with most sectors except oil and gas — an industry already being impacted by the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran — in positive territory.
—Ganesh Rao,chloe Taylor,jenni Reid, CNBC, 20 June 2025
As the conflict escalated this week, the U.S. deployed additional fighter jets and refueling tankers to the Middle East.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 19 June 2025
But this was different, the situation escalating by the hour, then by the minute.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 19 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 25 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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