escalate
[ es-kuh-leyt ]
/ ˈɛs kəˌleɪt /
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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Nearby words
esc., escabeche, escadrille, escadrille américaine, escalade, escalate, escalation, escalator, escalator clause, escalatory, escallonia
Origin of escalate
First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator
Related forms
Pronunciation note
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 Formsescalation, 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
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Word Origin and History for escalate
escalate
1922, back-formation from escalator, replacing earlier verb escalade (1801), from the noun escalade. Escalate came into general use with a figurative sense of "raise" after 1959 in reference to the possibility of nuclear war. Related: Escalated; escalating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper