escalate
[es-kuh-leyt]
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.
Origin of escalate
First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator
Synonyms for escalate
Antonyms for escalate
Pronunciation note
See percolate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for escalation
Contemporary Examples of escalation
The concern is that a public accusation would result in an escalation.
A Clinton-like intervention to halt an escalation will be a tough act to follow.
In short, it had all the makings of a nuclear attack drill, part of an escalation in long-range Russian operations worldwide.
A U.S. escalation of bombing in Iraq and Syria would send it soaring.
The speed with which the escalation takes place is breathtaking.
Historical Examples of escalation
Many books were written about the escalation of hostility through the language of political and ideological discourse.
The Civilization of IlliteracyMihai Nadin
It's like an escalation in the arms race, and understandably, no one wants to disarm alone.
escalate
verb
Word Origin for escalate
C20: back formation from escalator
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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escalate
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
escalation
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.