escalate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
escalates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
escalated,
past participle, past
-
escalating
present participle
verb
Pronunciation
See percolate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
escalationnoun
-
reescalationnoun
-
reescalateverb
-
escalatoryadjective
-
nonescalatingadjective
-
nonescalatoryadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
escalatesimple
-
escalatessimple
-
have escalatedperfect
-
has escalatedperfect
-
am escalatingprogressive
-
are escalatingprogressive
-
is escalatingprogressive
-
have been escalatingperfect progressive
-
has been escalatingperfect progressive
Past
-
escalatedsimple
-
had escalatedperfect
-
was escalatingprogressive
-
were escalatingprogressive
-
had been escalatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of escalate
First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator
Explanation
If an argument between you and your brother progresses from mean looks to a fist fight, you could say that the tension between the two of you escalated. To escalate is intensify or increase quickly. When you see this word, picture an escalator that takes you up to the next floor quickly. But remember, there's something you don't like on that higher level because it's usually bad if something escalates. Prices escalate when something becomes scarce, be it a popular toy, a concert ticket, or food during a crisis. And if a war or conflict escalates, it becomes more intense and violent.
Vocabulary lists containing escalate
This Week in Words: September 25 - October 1, 2017
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: October 22 - 27, 2017
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Higher Learning: Synonyms For "Up"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A leadership that feels cornered may escalate rather than accommodate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
A Belfast High Court judge temporarily blocked it on Saturday, warning that the long-running dispute could escalate across Northern Ireland and urging the parties to "step back from the abyss".
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
I don’t want to escalate too quickly and create pressure, but I also don’t want to miss opportunities by hesitating too long.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
"I wish we consultants had been brave enough to follow our suspicions and escalate things to the police earlier," he told the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Trying to figure out how not to have the situation escalate.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Over the following fortnight, the unrest escalates dramatically.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Attempts at diplomacy have floundered as fighting escalates on several fronts across Africa's third-largest country.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
This escalates to two days’ worth of rent after 90 days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Meta settles teen safety suit, the U.S.-Canada trade war escalates, and Scott Bessent messes around in the markets again.
From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026
The feeling escalates when the man comes down the road and walks up the porch steps.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Concerns about the safety of advanced AI models have escalated in recent months.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Things escalated quickly following a trip to the GP.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The decline in consumer confidence was dragged down by rising energy prices as tensions escalated in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
That email seems to have gone unnoticed for five days before it was escalated to Australia's cyber-security experts on 10 September.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Unbelievably, things had escalated even more during the night.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Energy costs were 21% higher than September last year—up from 17% in August—after fuel prices rose this month on escalating tensions in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Hallmark films have mastered the art of escalating low-stakes situations into high-stakes emotional emergency plotlines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
It was brought in to counter escalating hooliganism through the 1970s and into the 1980s.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Prime Minister Mark Carney pitched Canada as an investment haven Tuesday at a gathering of global financial elite, but conceded ties with the United States remained crucial despite an escalating trade war.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
The crisis was escalating rapidly, and Pollard was getting alarmed.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
