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.

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Origin of escalate

First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from escalator

SYNONYMS FOR escalate

1 advance, mount, swell.

ANTONYMS FOR escalate

1 lower, decrease, fall.

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 escalatory

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, 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