noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ dramatic , major , serious
▪ rapid
▪ gradual
▪ further
▪ military , nuclear
▪
the threat of nuclear ~
VERB + ESCALATION
▪ lead to
▪
The reorganization has led to a dramatic ~ in costs.
▪ prevent
▪ represent
▪
This bill represents another ~ in the war on drugs.
▪ see , witness
▪
This week witnessed a significant ~ in the global financial crisis.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ in
▪
a serious ~ in the fighting
▪ ~ into
▪
the ~ of the conflict into an all-out war
▪ ~ of
▪
an ~ of the level of violence in video games
▪ ~ to ( esp. AmE )
▪
It could result in ~ to major ground action.