de-escalate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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de-escalates,
present (3rd person singular)
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de-escalated,
past participle, past
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de-escalating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
de-escalatesimple
-
de-escalatessimple
-
have de-escalatedperfect
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has de-escalatedperfect
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am de-escalatingprogressive
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are de-escalatingprogressive
-
is de-escalatingprogressive
-
have been de-escalatingperfect progressive
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has been de-escalatingperfect progressive
Past
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de-escalatedsimple
-
had de-escalatedperfect
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was de-escalatingprogressive
-
were de-escalatingprogressive
-
had been de-escalatingperfect progressive
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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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Opening the prosecution case at Cambridge Crown Court, Christopher Paxton KC said that of those on the train "some stood tall, to protect others trying to de-escalate his rampage".
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
The campaign puts clergy, veterans, teachers and other volunteers at voting stations where they will explain voting rights, try to de-escalate confrontations and document intimidation or other misconduct.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
Officers remained at the scene to de-escalate the situation and direct a crowd of onlookers away from the area, police said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
But for China, which has called on all sides to de-escalate, neutrality now comes at a cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
It is also important to learn "how to de-escalate and resolve conflict in certain situations", he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Assuming the war de-escalates in coming weeks and months, the U.S. economy should enjoy a better year of job growth in 2026 than 2025,” said Bill Adams, chief economist at Fifth Third Commercial Bank.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
The guidance assumes that the conflict in the Middle East de-escalates over the near-term and that SAP will close its deal for Reltio.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
If the situation de-escalates relatively quickly, the impact on Asia should be fairly limited but individual governments are nevertheless taking pre-emptive measures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
A security worker de-escalates the situation, and a social worker helps them take some deep breaths.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
“It’s hard to see how the situation de-escalates from here,” wrote Madiha Afzal, a fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, in a text message.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2023
“I’m hopeful that some of those things will be less of, will have de-escalated, but you just never know,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Though surprised, the officer seated at the wheel de-escalated the situation and helped the young man find his family, the father wrote to Movius.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
I’ve known many police officers in my long career covering crime who could have de-escalated that event without bloodshed.
From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2026
"I believe China is open to discussion and I am optimistic this can be de-escalated," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025
“I believe China is open to discussion, and I am optimistic that this can be de-escalated ultimately,” Bessent said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025
They will meet with security experts from the government in hopes of de-escalating the conflict, the people familiar with the meetings said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
It has sent a special envoy and pledged to play a "constructive role in de-escalating tensions".
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026
President Abdel-Fattah Sissi of Egypt also said Monday that his country had delivered “clear messages” to Iran about de-escalating the conflict.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
Oil prices surged above $100 a barrel on Monday to levels not seen since 2022 as the Iran conflict showed no signs of de-escalating, and more major oil producers began cutting oil output.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 9, 2026
This is attributed to a number of factors including major oil producers agreeing to keep output unchanged and signs of de-escalating tensions between the US and Iran.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
