Defined as:

es·ca·late /ˈɛskəˌleɪt/
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.
1. to increase in intensity, magnitude, etc.: to escalate a war; a time when prices escalate.
2. to raise, lower, rise, or descend on or as if on an escalator.

Why are we having such a hard defining and dancing around this? It’s increasing, enlarging…….exploding.