Meaning & use
escalate
To increase rapidly in intensity, seriousness, or scale.
See it in a sentence
The argument escalated quickly from a minor disagreement into a shouting match.
Tensions between the two countries escalated after the border incident.
A note on using this word
In customer service and business, 'escalate' also means to pass a problem to a higher level of authority for resolution.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
de-escalatecalm
Make it your own
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