CEFR B2

escalates

verb

Meaning

Increases rapidly in intensity, magnitude, or seriousness.

Examples

The border conflict escalates every time a new trade sanction is imposed.
Management fears that the strike will escalate if their demands are not met by Friday.

Synonyms: grow, increase, intensify, aggravate

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escalates (B2)

verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɛskəleɪts/

Definition

Increases rapidly in intensity, magnitude, or seriousness.

Examples

The border conflict escalates every time a new trade sanction is imposed.
Management fears that the strike will escalate if their demands are not met by Friday.
Minor technical glitches often escalate into system-wide failures if they are ignored.

How to Use escalates

escalate into (prepositional phrase): to develop into a more serious state — "The protest escalated into a riot by midnight."
escalate the situation (collocation): to make a conflict more intense — "His aggressive tone only served to escalate the situation."

Synonyms of escalates

Words with a similar meaning to escalates:

Antonyms of escalates

Words with the opposite meaning to escalates:

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