/ ˈeskəleɪt; NAmE / verb
escalate (sth) (into sth) to become or make sth greater, worse, more serious, etc. :
[ v ]
The fighting escalated into a full-scale war.
the escalating costs of health care
[ vn ]
We do not want to escalate the war.
► es·cal·ation / ˌeskəˈleɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ C , U ]:
an escalation in food prices
further escalation of the conflict
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WORD ORIGIN
1920s (in the sense travel on an escalator ): back-formation from escalator .