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escalate

 
 
/ˈeskəleɪt/ verb

Definition

GET WORSE [I, T] If a violent or bad situation escalates or is escalated, it quickly becomes worse or more serious: The fight quickly escalated into a riot.
INCREASE [I] to rise or increase quickly: Airline prices escalate during the holiday season.
escalation
 
 
/ˌeskəˈleɪʃən/ noun [C, U]
an escalation in violence
(Definition of escalate verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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