escalate
[ es-kuh-leyt ]
/ ˈɛs kəˌleɪt /
verb (used with or without object), es·ca·lat·ed, es·ca·lat·ing.
to increase in intensity, magnitude, etc.: to escalate a war; a time when prices escalate.
to raise, lower, rise, or descend on or as if on an escalator.
QUIZZES
DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?
"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
Origin of escalate
First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator
pronunciation note for escalate
See percolate.
OTHER WORDS FROM escalate
Words nearby escalate
esc., escabeche, escadrille, escadrille américaine, escalade, escalate, escalation, escalator, escalator clause, escallonia, escallop
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for escalation
British Dictionary definitions for escalation
escalate
/ (ˈɛskəˌleɪt) /
verb
to increase or be increased in extent, intensity, or magnitudeto escalate a war; prices escalated because of inflation
Derived forms of escalate
escalation, nounWord Origin for escalate
C20: back formation from escalator
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for escalation
escalation
An increase in the intensity or geographical scope of a war or diplomatic confrontation. For example, during the Korean War, some Americans urged escalation of the war through bombing of the People's Republic of China.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.