escalateverb [ I or T ]
uk/ˈes.kə.leɪt/us/ˈes.kə.leɪt/to become or make something become greater or more serious:
His financial problems escalated after he became unemployed.
The decision to escalate UN involvement has been made in the hopes of a swift end to the hostilities.
The escalating rate of inflation will almost certainly bring escalating prices.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Increasing and intensifying
- -ify
- a snowball effect idiom
- accretion
- accumulate
- accumulative
- add fuel to the fire idiom
- balloon
- bump
- dial
- heighten
- hot up
- increase
- increment
- pile
- rack
- speed-up
- spurt
- step
- step sth up
- supersize
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escalation
noun [ C or U ] uk/ˌes.kəˈleɪ.ʃən/us/ˌes.kəˈleɪ.ʃən/
It's difficult to explain the recent escalation in/of violent crime.