escalating


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es·ca·late

 (ĕs′kə-lāt′)
v. es·ca·lat·ed, es·ca·lat·ing, es·ca·lates
v.intr.
To increase in intensity, extent, or amount: tensions that escalated into violence.
v.tr.
1. To increase, enlarge, or intensify: escalated the hostilities in the Persian Gulf.
2. To pass (a transaction or case) on to a higher level in an organizational hierarchy: escalated the customer's complaint.

[Back-formation from escalator.]

es′ca·la′tion n.
es′ca·la·to′ry (-lə-tôr′ē) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

escalating

(ˈɛskəˌleɪtɪŋ)
adj
increasing in extent, intensity, or magnitude
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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NEW YORK, Feb 21 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, late Tuesday, said he was "deeply alarmed" by the escalating violence in Syria's Eastern Ghouta enclave after more than 100 civilians were killed in the second straight day of air strikes.
"Contrary to our wishes and hopes, the Gulf crisis has the potential of escalating; therefore, all of us must be fully aware of its potential consequences," Sheikh Sabah said.
They also stressed the importance of employing more aggressive fiscal spending to boost domestic demand amid escalating geopolitical risks.