Meaning

4 senses
  1. (ambitransitive)To increase (something) in extent or intensity; to intensify or step up.

    Violence escalated during the election.

    The shooting escalated the existing hostility.

    eskalieren, steigern, verschärfen

    обостря́тьobostrjátʹ, углубля́тьuglubljátʹ

    заго́стрюватиzahóstrjuvaty, загостри́тиzahostrýty, заго́стрюватисяzahóstrjuvatysja

    increase in extent or intensity

  2. (transitive)In technical support, to transfer a customer, a problem, etc. to the next higher level of authority

    The tech 1 escalated the caller to a tech 2.

    weiterleiten

  3. (uncommon)To climb.

  4. (rare)To move by escalator.

Examples

50 sentences
  1. Don't allow it to escalate.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CM · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  2. Things escalated quickly.

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  3. My disputes with Tom have escalated.

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  4. The man's demands escalated even further.

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  5. His frustration has escalated over time.

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Translations

8 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
to intensify:
Русский
By meaning 1
to intensify:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
to intensify:
to transfer a telephone caller or problem to the next higher level of authority:

Origin

Back-formation from escalator.

Back-formation from escalator.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

escalates, escalating, escalated, escalated
Base formescalate · to escalate
3rd person singularescalates
Present participleescalating
Past simpleescalated
Past participleescalated

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyescalate
he, she, itescalates

Past simpleLesson

all personsescalated

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave escalated
he, she, ithas escalated

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill escalate

Synonyms

3 synonyms
Close in meaning

Antonyms

1 antonyms

Word family

8 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
escalate — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto