How to pronounce escalate
American English pronunciation
ES-kuh-layt
- IPA
- /ˈɛskəˌleɪt/
- Syllables
- ES · kuh · layt (3 syllables, stress on the 1st)
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What escalate means
To become more serious or intense, step by step
In a sentence: The pillow fight escalated until feathers covered the whole room.
Where it comes from: It was made from "escalator," the moving staircase.
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Compare: escalate and expand
Escalate is getting more serious step by step; expand is getting bigger or spreading out.
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