DEFINITIONS

escalate

[ es-kuh-leyt ]
/ ˈɛs kəˌleɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR escalate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object), es·ca·lat·ed, es·ca·lat·ing.

to increase in intensity, magnitude, etc.: to escalate a war; a time when prices escalate.
to raise, lower, rise, or descend on or as if on an escalator.

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Words related to escalate

widen, raise, intensify, mount, rise, heighten, grow, expand, scale, extend, magnify, broaden, ascend, enlarge, climb, amplify

Words nearby escalate

esc., escabeche, escadrille, escadrille américaine, escalade, escalate, escalation, escalator, escalator clause, escallonia, escallop

Origin of escalate

First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator

OTHER WORDS FROM escalate

pronunciation note for escalate

See percolate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for escalate

British Dictionary definitions for escalate

escalate
/ (ˈɛskəˌleɪt) /

verb

to increase or be increased in extent, intensity, or magnitudeto escalate a war; prices escalated because of inflation

Derived forms of escalate

escalation, noun

Word Origin for escalate

C20: back formation from escalator
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012