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.
Words nearby escalate
esc., escabeche, escadrille, escadrille américaine, escalade, escalate, escalation, escalator, escalator clause, escallonia, escallop
Origin of escalate
First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator
OTHER WORDS FROM escalate
pronunciation note for escalate
See percolate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for escalatory
The escalatory ladder is far more terrifying than it was on the eve of the millennium.
Yet if he retaliates with more economic sanctions or some military move, Pyongyang might start climbing the escalatory ladder.
British Dictionary definitions for escalatory
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
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