escalate

[es-kuh-leyt]

See more synonyms for escalate on Thesaurus.com

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

Related formses·ca·la·tion, nounes·ca·la·to·ry

[es-kuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈɛs kə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectivenon·es·ca·lat·ing, adjectivenon·es·ca·la·to·ry, adjectivere·es·ca·late, verb, re·es·ca·lat·ed, re·es·ca·lat·ing.re·es·ca·la·tion, noun

Synonyms for escalate

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1. advance, mount, swell.

Antonyms for escalate

1. lower, decrease, fall.

Pronunciation note

See percolate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for escalation

acceleration, increase, rise, growth

Examples from the Web for escalation

Contemporary Examples of escalation

The concern is that a public accusation would result in an escalation.
U.S. Should Make North Korea Pay for Sony Hack
Gordon G. Chang
December 18, 2014
A Clinton-like intervention to halt an escalation will be a tough act to follow.
ICYMI: India-Pakistan Head for Nuke War
Bruce Riedel
October 20, 2014
In short, it had all the makings of a nuclear attack drill, part of an escalation in long-range Russian operations worldwide.
US & Russia Re-Arming for a New Cold War
Bill Sweetman
September 30, 2014
A U.S. escalation of bombing in Iraq and Syria would send it soaring.
Stop the ISIS War Before It Gets Worse!
Jeffrey Sachs, Michael Shank
September 17, 2014
The speed with which the escalation takes place is breathtaking.
Is America a Police State? For Many, Yes
Gene Robinson
September 1, 2014

Historical Examples of escalation

Many books were written about the escalation of hostility through the language of political and ideological discourse.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
It's like an escalation in the arms race, and understandably, no one wants to disarm alone.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006
Various

British Dictionary definitions for escalation

escalate

verb

to increase or be increased in extent, intensity, or magnitudeto escalate a war; prices escalated because of inflation

Derived Formsescalation, noun

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for escalation

derived noun from escalate; in the figurative sense it is from 1938, in reference to the battleship arms race among global military powers.

escalate

1922, back-formation from escalator, replacing earlier verb escalade (1801), from the noun escalade. Escalate came into general use with a figurative sense of "raise" after 1959 in reference to the possibility of nuclear war. Related: Escalated; escalating.

escalation in Culture

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.