escalate
Americanverb
Pronunciation
See percolate.
Other Word Forms
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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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.
That summer saw temperatures exceed 40C for the first time in parts of Britain, stretching fire services to their limits and highlighting how rising heat and dryness can rapidly escalate fire risk.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
"If tensions were to escalate further, particularly into open conflict, there's a clear risk of a sharper spike," he wrote.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
The newly inaugurated Lyndon Johnson had sky-high support after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, political cover that arguably helped Johnson muscle civil rights legislation through Congress and escalate the Vietnam War.
From Slate • Apr. 26, 2026
China’s role in that mediation remains unclear, other than Beijing advising Iran not to escalate.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026
That’s when the Space Race began to escalate.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
