escalate

[es-kuh-leyt]

verb (used with or without object)

escalated, escalating 

1. to increase in intensity, magnitude, etc..

   to escalate a war; a time when prices escalate.

   Synonyms: swell, mount, advance
   Antonyms: fall, decrease, lower

2. to raise, lower, rise, or descend on or as if on an escalator.

escalate

/ ˈɛskəˌleɪt /

verb

1. to increase or be increased in extent, intensity, or magnitude

   to escalate a war

   prices escalated because of inflation

Pronunciation Note

See percolate.

Other Word Forms

• escalation noun
• escalatory adjective
• nonescalating adjective
• nonescalatory adjective
• reescalate verb
• reescalation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of escalate¹

First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator

Word History and Origins

Origin of escalate¹

C20: back formation from _escalator

Example Sentences

Young adults face an escalating mental health crisis, fueled in part by loneliness.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Under international law, none of these three steps would constitute escalated belligerence.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Lai, an outspoken defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and detested by China, has accused Beijing of "severely" affecting regional peace in the escalating spat.

Read more on Barron's

Simultaneously, China’s military signaled its readiness to escalate last weekend, sending four armed China Coast Guard vessels close to an island chain that both Beijing and Tokyo claim as their own.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The last few weeks, there have been some escalating cracks in the AI landscape,” said Matt Stucky, chief portfolio manager for equities at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, an Nvidia shareholder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• expand 
• grow 
• heighten 
• intensify 
• mount 
• raise 
• rise 
• step up 
• widen