de-escalate

Or de·es·ca·late

[dee-es-kuh-leyt]

verb (used with or without object)

de-escalated, de-escalating 

1. to decrease in intensity, magnitude, etc..

   to de-escalate a war.

de-escalate

/ diːˈɛskəˌleɪt /

verb

1. to reduce the level or intensity of (a crisis, etc)

Other Word Forms

• de-escalation noun
• deescalation noun
• de-escalatory adjective
• deescalatory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of de-escalate¹

First recorded in 1960–65; de- + escalate

Example Sentences

The release of novelist Boualem Sansal has de-escalated a crisis in relations between France and its former colony Algeria, but much work remains to be done to normalise ties deeply scarred by history.

Read more on Barron's

But the message from Al-Houthi was always the same: He would only de-escalate if Israel stopped its war in Gaza.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But it was a battle of wills and economic pain set the two nations on a path that ultimately led to Thursday's meeting and an agreement on both sides to de-escalate.

Read more on BBC

"And it has escalated to de-escalate, which is a very new tactic."

Read more on BBC

“My question is, if this man was a retired police officer, if there was an argument, why couldn’t he de-escalate that?” she said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abate 
• curtail 
• decrease 
• dilute 
• diminish 
• dwindle 
• ease 
• erode 
• impair 
• lighten 
• minimize 
• mitigate 
• narrow 
• shrink 
• slacken 
• weaken