escalate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Pronunciation
See percolate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reescalateverb
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escalatoryadjective
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reescalationnoun
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nonescalatoryadjective
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escalationnoun
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nonescalatingadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have escalatedperfect
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has escalatedperfect 3rd person singular
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is escalatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are escalatingprogressive
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am escalatingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been escalatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been escalatingperfect progressive
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escalatingparticiple
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escalatessingular 3rd person
Past
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had escalatedperfect
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was escalatingprogressive singular
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had been escalatingperfect progressive
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were escalatingprogressive plural
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escalatedsimple
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escalatedparticiple
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
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This Week in Words: October 22 - 27, 2017
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Higher Learning: Synonyms For "Up"
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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.
“We are trying to calm the streets to make sure things don’t escalate further,” said Razi El Hage, a Lebanese Forces member of parliament representing the area.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Hitting Kuwait signaled a willingness to escalate but without hitting more sensitive sites in the Gulf’s more powerful states that have previously struck back against Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
“Failures involving storage tanks or containment systems can escalate into large-scale public safety emergencies within minutes,” Filippo Marchino, founder and managing partner of the X-Law Group, said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
After Larissa is missing overnight without her medication, officers escalate the search to “high risk”.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Trying to figure out how not to have the situation escalate.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
