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escalate definition

☆ es·ca·late (es′kə lāt′)

intransitive verb escalated -·lat′ed, escalating -·lat′·ing

  1. to rise on or as on an escalator
  2. to expand step by step, as from a limited or local conflict into a general, esp. nuclear, war
  3. to grow or increase rapidly, often to the point of becoming unmanageable, as prices or wages

Etymology: back-form. < escalator

transitive verb

to cause to escalate

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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