escalate

CEFRC1

/ˈɛs.kə.leɪt/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
verb
To become or make something more serious or intense.
02
verb
Extra detail
In technical support, to transfer a customer, a problem, etc. to the next higher level of authority

Examples

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Also pronounced

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Extra meanings

In context

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Question 1 · Quick check

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The word in print, with each source given in full.

In another sense, public-health workers have been facing escalating hostility since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
2025 August 9, Keren Landman, “‘I’m Actually Surprised It Didn’t Happen Sooner’”, in The Atlantic
"Operating the WCML at this intensity makes it challenging to maintain acceptable performance levels, resulting in a frustratingly unreliable service for passengers. Minor disruption can escalate into significant delays because a train running only a few minutes late can miss its slot across a junction, resulting in a snowballing effect across the network."
2020 May 6, Philip Haigh, “Just one more stop on the long journey to HS2 fulfillment [sic]”, in Rail, page 65
Thus, actually a prior uncounselled misdemeanor conviction may often prove to be a boon to one escalating the ladder of crime to the point where he has been convicted of a major aggravated offense.
1975, Federal Reporter, page 537
They escalated upstairs to the Mall coffee tables.
1977, Graham Jackson, The Coals of Juniper, Champion Publications, →ISBN, page 48
Firms move to higher and higher levels of conflict in each arena, as if they are escalating up a ladder with each rung representing the new level of competition introduced by the last competitive maneuver.
1994, Richard A. D’Aveni, Hypercompetition: Managing the Dynamics of Strategic Maneuvering, The Free Press, →ISBN

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Back-formation from escalator.