de-escalate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have de-escalatedperfect
-
has de-escalatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been de-escalatingperfect progressive
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de-escalatessingular 3rd person
-
am de-escalatingprogressive 1st person singular
-
de-escalatingparticiple
-
has been de-escalatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are de-escalatingprogressive
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is de-escalatingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had de-escalatedperfect
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was de-escalatingprogressive singular
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were de-escalatingprogressive plural
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had been de-escalatingperfect progressive
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de-escalatedparticiple
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de-escalatedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of de-escalate
Explanation
When something de-escalates, it's turned down a notch, becoming quieter or calmer. If you want to de-escalate an argument between siblings you're babysitting, you might try giving them both a popsicle. In politics, de-escalating a situation can be a matter of life and death, as when mediators help de-escalate a conflict in order to avoid a war between two countries or groups. Whenever someone de-escalates an argument, they take something with potential to turn ugly or even violent and tone things down so that the issues can be calmly discussed. Police officers, diplomats, and elementary school teachers all need to learn to de-escalate intense situations.
Vocabulary lists containing de-escalate
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(S)Kin
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
