escalate
verb
es·ca·late
ˈe-skə-ˌlāt 
nonstandard
-skyə-
escalated; escalating
: to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope
a little war threatens to escalate into a huge ugly one—
Arnold Abrams
Arnold AbramsExamples of escalate in a Sentence
The conflict has escalated into an all-out war.
a time of escalating tensions
We are trying not to escalate the violence.
Salaries of leading executives have continued to escalate.
The cold weather has escalated fuel prices.
Recent Examples on the Web
From the game’s opening moves, the conflict escalated rapidly.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Daniels’ successor, Mike Pence and Republican legislative majorities, escalated the voucher program dramatically.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Firstly, escalating competition in critical sectors presents a threat.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Last week, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien escalated tensions by threatening to disrupt waste collection operations across multiple states.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Daniels’ successor, Mike Pence and Republican legislative majorities, escalated the voucher program dramatically.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Firstly, escalating competition in critical sectors presents a threat.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Last week, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien escalated tensions by threatening to disrupt waste collection operations across multiple states.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escalate. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
escalate
verb
es·ca·late
ˈes-kə-ˌlāt
escalated; escalating
: to increase in extent, volume, or scope : expand
escalate prices
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share