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 …—
Mike Mansfield
Mike Mansfield
es·ca·la·tion
plural -s
1
: an increase (as in the price of an article or in a ship's tonnage) that counteracts an unjust discrepancy (as between the price of a product and the cost of material or between the tonnage of one nation's ships and that of another when both are regulated by the same treaty)
specifically
: the adjustment of prices proportionally and usually periodically and automatically to an alteration (such as a rise) in the cost of materials or a similar adjustment of wages to an alteration in the cost of living
2
: an increasing in extent, volume, number, amount, or scope
Examples of escalate in a Sentence
Verb
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
Janakiram Msv,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2026
Even as the court preserved birthright citizenship, Republicans escalated calls to restrict it through congressional action.
—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
6 July 2026
Authorities widely refer to mass gatherings of unaccompanied young people — that sometimes escalate into chaos or violence — as teen takeovers.
—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
5 July 2026
The social media buzz escalated, with hundreds of accounts weighing in on the issue, many of which lambasted Sullivan and USA Fencing while praising Turner.
—
Elijah Polance,
Hartford Courant,
5 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
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Verb
Gartner has predicted that more than 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by 2027 over escalating costs, unclear value or weak risk controls.
—
Janakiram Msv,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2026
Even as the court preserved birthright citizenship, Republicans escalated calls to restrict it through congressional action.
—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
6 July 2026
Authorities widely refer to mass gatherings of unaccompanied young people — that sometimes escalate into chaos or violence — as teen takeovers.
—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
5 July 2026
The social media buzz escalated, with hundreds of accounts weighing in on the issue, many of which lambasted Sullivan and USA Fencing while praising Turner.
—
Elijah Polance,
Hartford Courant,
5 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escalate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
escalate
verb
es·ca·late
ˈes-kə-ˌlāt
escalated; escalating
: to increase in extent, volume, or scope : expand
escalate prices
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