escalate,verb
~ (sth) (into sth) to become or make sth greater, worse, more serious, etc
i.e.:The fighting escalated into a full-scale war.
the escalating costs of health care
We do not want to escalate the war.
escalation n. [C, U]
i.e.:
an escalation in food prices;further escalation of the conflict[@more@]1 a. <战争等>逐段扩大,升高
b. 逐段扩大[成…][into]
2 <工资、物价等> 逐渐上涨