ESCALATE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for ESCALATE?

Need another word that means the same as “escalate”? Find 27 synonyms and 30 related words for “escalate” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Escalate” are: intensify, step up, increase rapidly, soar, rocket, shoot up, mount, surge, spiral, grow rapidly, rise rapidly, climb, go up, grow, develop, mushroom, increase, be increased, be stepped up, build up, heighten, strengthen, accelerate, be extended, be enlarged, be magnified, be amplified

Escalate as a Verb

Definitions of "Escalate" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “escalate” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Make or become more intense or serious.
• Increase in extent or intensity.
• Increase rapidly.

Synonyms of "Escalate" as a verb (27 Words)

accelerate	Undergo a change in velocity. Inflation started to accelerate.
be amplified	Be identical to; be someone or something.
be enlarged	Have life, be alive.
be extended	Happen, occur, take place.
be increased	To remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted — used only in infinitive form.
be magnified	Be identical to; be someone or something.
be stepped up	Form or compose.
build up	Bolster or strengthen.
climb	(of a plant) grow up (a wall, tree, or trellis) by clinging with tendrils or by twining. Sales were climbing after prices were lowered.
develop	Cause to grow and differentiate in ways conforming to its natural development. A flower developed on the branch.
go up	Follow a certain course.
grow	Become attached by or as if by the process of growth. More land was needed to grow crops for export.
grow rapidly	Come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes.
heighten	Make or become more intense. Concern over CFCs has heightened.
increase	Make bigger or more. The amount of work increased.
increase rapidly	Become bigger or greater in amount.
intensify	Make more intense, stronger, or more marked. The dispute began to intensify.
mount	(of a male mammal or bird) assume a position on top of (a female) in order to copulate. She was mounted on a white horse.
mushroom	Form a shape resembling that of a mushroom. The problem mushroomed.
rise rapidly	Move upward.
rocket	Propel with a rocket. Prices skyrocketed.
shoot up	Move quickly and violently.
soar	Fly upwards or high in the sky. The dollar soared against the yen.
spiral	Move in a spiral course. A wisp of smoke spiralled up from the trees.
step up	Cause (a computer) to execute a single command.
strengthen	Make strong or stronger. The wind won t strengthen until after dark.
surge	(of a crowd or a natural force) move suddenly and powerfully forward or upward. The journalists surged forward.

Usage Examples of "Escalate" as a verb

• The Allies escalated the bombing.
• We do not want to escalate the war.
• The disturbance escalated into a full-scale riot.
• The price of tickets escalated.

Associations of "Escalate" (30 Words)

ameliorate	Get better. The reform did much to ameliorate living standards.
augment	Grow or intensify. He augmented his summer income by painting houses.
augmentation	The lengthening of the time values of notes in a melodic part. The augmentation of the curriculum with new subjects.
bolster	Prop up with a pillow or bolster. They bolstered the seats for a more comfortable ride.
bond	Money that must be forfeited by the bondsman if an accused person fails to appear in court for trial. There was a bond of understanding between them.
brace	Support or hold steady and make steadfast with or as if with a brace. He stood with legs braced.
cooperation	The practice of cooperating. Economic cooperation.
deepen	Make more intense, stronger, or more marked. His dislike for raw fish only deepened in Japan.
defensible	Able to be protected. A morally defensible penal system.
development	Act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining. What a revolting development.
enhance	Make better or more attractive. This sauce will enhance the flavor of the meat.
enlarge	Become larger or bigger. They have renovated and enlarged the four storey building.
enrich	Make (someone) wealthy or wealthier. Her exposure to museums enriched her life in France.
exacerbate	Exasperate or irritate. The exorbitant cost of land in urban areas only exacerbated the problem.
fortify	Provide (a place) with defensive works as protection against attack. The wine is aged in oak barrels and fortified with French brandy.
harden	Harden by reheating and cooling in oil. The cold hardened the butter.
heighten	Make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity. Heighten the tension.
increase	The amount by which something increases. We are aiming to increase awareness of social issues.
intensification	Action that makes something stronger or more extreme. The intensification of the conflict.
intensify	Increase the opacity of (a negative) using a chemical. The dispute began to intensify.
meliorate	Get better.
optimize	Act as an optimist and take a sunny view of the world. We manage our time so that we optimize our productivity.
ossify	Become bony. These tracheal cartilages may ossify.
reinforce	Strengthen (an existing feeling, idea, or habit. Let s reinforce good behavior.
reinforcement	A device designed to provide additional strength. He used gummed reinforcements to hold the page in his notebook.
rise	Rise up. The moorlands rise and fall in gentle folds.
strengthen	Give a healthy elasticity to. Strengthen the relations between the two countries.
stronghold	A place where a particular cause or belief is strongly defended or upheld. A Labour stronghold.
toughen	Make (rules or a policy) stricter and more harsh. This experience will toughen her.
widening	An increase in width.