How to Use escalate in a Sentence

escalate

verb
  • We are trying not to escalate the violence.
  • The conflict has escalated into an all-out war.
  • The cold weather has escalated fuel prices.
  • Salaries of leading executives have continued to escalate.
  • As the Iran war escalates, so do her fears.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
  • The emotions are high, so of course some things escalate like that.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Neither of us has had the heart to escalate, and no doors have been slammed.
    — Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023
  • Did the system know when to stop, ask, pause or escalate?
    — Regan Peng, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • Find out how to get rid of your debt before the problem escalates.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 15 June 2026
  • The escalating price tag has long been a point of contention for the project.
    — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 13 May 2026
  • The dispute had escalated sharply at the end of last year.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 31 Mar. 2026
  • And if the trade war escalates, expect prices to keep climbing along with it.
    — Patrick.reis, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Someone else screams that the feds are the ones escalating things.
    — Laura Jedeed, The New Republic, 4 Apr. 2023
  • All this leads to tension, which can escalate into a headache.
    — Korin Miller, SELF, 24 Aug. 2017
  • What followed at the free throw line escalated fast.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2026
  • The bride was stunned at how quickly things escalated.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Those levies are set to escalate to 25% on June 1.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
  • The argument escalated, and one of the two men pulled out a gun.
    — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The steady rain of rockets is a reminder that things can escalate very quickly.
    — Adam Goldman Avishag Shaar-Yashuv, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
  • Europe struggles to be heard as the war on Iran escalates.
    — Ian King, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
  • By then, tensions had escalated at the scene.
    — Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
  • When her symptoms escalate, the idea of a hike (or any kind of workout) is off the table.
    — Condé Nast, SELF, 25 Sep. 2023
  • Trump’s threat came amid an escalating war of words with Carney.
    — Rob Gillies, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
  • But things escalated when the other woman crossed a line.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
  • What common way does a couple try to de-escalate tension or resolve a fight?
    — Sara Kuburic, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2022
  • Is this going to escalate next season?
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 May 2026
  • She is overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame and is forced to face her past.
    — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2024
  • In the past, it’s already been escalated.
    — Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
  • This behavior could spark dry grass along the road and escalate into a wildfire.
    — Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Those are either to continue apace or to escalate.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'escalate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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