to escalate
220
5.5
- verb
- /ˈɛskəˌleɪt/
:
escalar
- This could escalate into a large scale war.
- escalating tensions
- escalating conflict
- escalating violence
The challenge before us today concerns the escalating cost of healthcare.
- The challenge before us today concerns the escalating cost of healthcare.
- And, and we do this irrespective of escalating negative consequences, right?
- So and it and it just escalated slowly but surely.
- And because of a collection of bad moods, it can escalate without being able to stop.
- And I think that's one of the big reasons for the escalating incidents of depression.
- So Needless to say, things are kind of escalating in this conflict.
- It's not that far to escalate to the next level.
- The war between Ukraine and Russia is escalating substantially.
- It has come to my attention that food prices have escalated beyond the normal day-to-day.
- Its costs have been escalating wildly.
- And things escalated pretty quick after that.
- And so all of that start, you know, escalated in those ways.
- And all addictions escalate each time like you have that.
- Yes, but you should be sexually escalating from the very beginning.
Examples
-
What started as a few individuals acting out... has quickly escalated into a massive riot, sweeping through the streets of downtown.
-
The lack of dialogue among them led to violence that escalated in the spring and summer of 1998.
Academic text (1999) -
And so it really started to escalate those last few weeks with them.
-
We just had India and Pakistan almost escalate into that.
-
Overseas, he continued to escalate US involvement in Vietnam.
-
The war between Ukraine and Russia is escalating substantially.
-
If Dr. Tatopoulos is right, we have to act quickly, before this problem escalates.
-
As urban growth continues to increase worldwide at escalating rates, megacities remain a growing phenomenon.
Academic text (2008) -
The escalating violence, tragic loss of human life, and threat of all-out war was overshadowed today by the announcement of the Oscar nominations.
-
The conflict could escalate into a full-blown war if not addressed quickly.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To make something larger or more in number
∞
1.0
Become larger or more physically mature
∞
2.9
To make an amount, level, or value higher
904
1.0
To become greater in amount or strength
822
1.8
Make something larger in number, amount or degree
146
2.2
Rise to a higher level, for example prices or numbers
128
3.9
To move something to a higher place or level
110
4.0
Make something stronger or more intense
76
4.1
To make a feeling, effect or situation stronger
74
3.4
Make something greater in amount, speed or strength
69
8.0
To make a problem or feeling worse
57
3.4
To become more intense or make a situation more intense
57
4.5
To increase something gradually in stages
52
3.6
Make a feeling or situation stronger
52
5.3
To make something bigger by adding more to it
47
4.1
To increase something, especially its amount or speed
44
4.1
To make something larger, stronger, or more important
39
3.9
To make prices rise to a higher level, often quickly
26
4.2
Make a situation more urgent to force someone to act
25
3.6
To raise a price or fee suddenly by a large amount
25
4.1
Rise quickly to a much higher level
23
3.4
To raise prices or amounts by a lot
18
6.7
To increase something slowly until it becomes hard to reduce
12
5.9
To raise prices or rent suddenly by a lot
9
7.0
To raise the level of risk or what people expect
9
6.5
To increase something a lot, often efforts or strength
9
3.9
Increase the size or amount of something so it still works well
9
1.3
Make an amount or level higher
3
4.8
Raise prices or fees suddenly by a large amount
2
4.4
Increase very quickly to a much higher level
1
7.1
Gradually become stronger until a high point
1
7.7
To become more active or exciting in a situation
Antonyms
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
escalate = escal (opaque) = escal + ate
There is no recognizable English base word for 'escal', so the derivation is opaque.
Etymology
Escalate comes from the Latin root scala, which means 'ladder', and you can see the same idea in escalator, a moving staircase. So to escalate is to 'climb' into something bigger, more serious, or more intense.