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
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
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escalate. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.
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