Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

escalate

/ˈɛs.kə.leɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.35 in modern English

Syllables: es-ca-late
IPA: /ˈɛs.kə.leɪt/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To increase (something) in extent or intensity; to intensify or step up.

verb

In technical support, to transfer a customer, a problem, etc. to the next higher level of authority

Transitive verb

verb

verb

To move by escalator.

Example Sentences

"Violence escalated during the election."
"The shooting escalated the existing hostility."
"A small fight escalated into a big fight."
""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.""
"In another sense, public-health workers have been facing escalating hostility since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic."
"The tech 1 escalated the caller to a tech 2."

Etymology

Back-formation from escalator.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɛs.kə.leɪt/
British English: /ˈɛs.kə.leɪt/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

escalates (present, singular) escalating (participle, present) escalated (participle, past) escalated (past)

Derived Forms

escalatingly escalation escalatory reescalate unescalated

Phrases

de-escalate

Frequently Paired Words

escalator scale

Synonyms

escalator intensify step up

Questions

How do you pronounce escalate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛs.kə.leɪt/.
What does escalate mean?: To increase (something) in extent or intensity; to intensify or step up.
Where does escalate come from?: Back-formation from escalator.

How to pronounce escalate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “escalate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛs.kə.leɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “escalate”.
Repeat and practice — Say “escalate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.