escalate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Pronunciation
See percolate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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escalationnoun
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reescalationnoun
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reescalateverb
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escalatoryadjective
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nonescalatingadjective
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nonescalatoryadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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escalatesimple
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escalatessimple
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have escalatedperfect
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has escalatedperfect
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am escalatingprogressive
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are escalatingprogressive
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is escalatingprogressive
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have been escalatingperfect progressive
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has been escalatingperfect progressive
Past
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escalatedsimple
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had escalatedperfect
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was escalatingprogressive
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were escalatingprogressive
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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
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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:
Plans to escalate the campaign have been shelved in part because of those shrinking supplies, The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
And unless the Americans are willing to dramatically escalate their military operations in the region, there was little they could do to stop them.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Iran, which lost many of its top leaders early in the war, may not want to escalate things too much either.
From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026
This may escalate if he feels threatened with eviction.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
That’s when the Space Race began to escalate.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
As debate escalates over the implications of open-weight artificial intelligence in both Washington and Silicon Valley, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made his position clear on Friday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Visibility is limited, fear escalates quickly and decisions are made in split seconds.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The independent review led by Dr Jan Melia found "when police endorse misogyny, as they do here, risk to women escalates".
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
Dominic LeBlanc’s remarks come as concern escalates about the slow pace of talks between Ottawa and Washington regarding USMCA, which faces a formal, U.S.-led review this summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
A hum like a washing machine escalates in volume until I think my ears might burst.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
His salary escalated each year, rising to $52.6 million last season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Military hostilities in the Middle East have escalated and investors have become particularly concerned about attacks expanding to the Red Sea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
It comes as tensions have escalated between Washington and Iran, bringing traffic almost to a halt in the Strait of Hormuz and raising the risks of oil supply shortages once again.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Diagnosed cases of MMA have steadily escalated since 2007, when an Australian doctor first discovered the allergy was linked to tick bites.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
It’s vulnerability that breeds with self-doubt and then is escalated, often deliberately, by fear.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Cooper also cited Drakeo’s 2021 song “IngleWeird,” interviews and music released by artists associated with the two camps as evidence of an escalating dispute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
And, with the conflict in the Middle East escalating, the oil price is spiking again.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The main international oil contract Brent North Sea fell back under $100 Friday after surging past the key milestone the previous day on escalating Middle East strikes, helping US and European stock markets stabilise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
U.S. stock futures fell in early European trade as the global oil benchmark topped $98 a barrel after another night of escalating tensions in the Gulf.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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.
