escalate

Pronunciation

• (UK) (US) enPR: esʹ kə lāt, IPA ^(key): /ˈɛs.kə.leɪt/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: es‧cal‧ate

Verb

Plain form escalate

Third-person singular escalates

Past tense escalated

Past participle escalated

Present participle escalating

1. (transitive & intransitive) If you escalate something, you increase its intensity.

   Violence escalated during the election.

   The shooting escalated the existing hostility.