détente

American  

[dey-tahnt, dey-tahnt] / deɪˈtɑnt, deɪˈtɑ̃t /

Or detente

noun

plural

détentes

1. a relaxing of tension, especially between nations, as by negotiations or agreements.

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détente British  

/ deɪˈtɑːnt, detɑ̃t /

noun

1. the relaxing or easing of tension, esp between nations

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détente Cultural  

1. A period of lessening tension between two major national powers, or a policy designed to lessen that tension. Détente presupposes that the two powers will continue to disagree but seeks to reduce the occasions of conflict.

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Etymology

Origin of détente

First recorded in 1905–10; from French; detent

Example Sentences

This year, Carney has also traveled to China, where he negotiated a trade detente with America’s biggest rival.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beijing is considering ways to strike back against any tariffs reimposed under new legal authority—a situation that could bring an abrupt end to a fragile China-U.S. detente.

From The Wall Street Journal

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent isn’t likely to do that, as it would risk blowing up the tariff détente with Beijing that he negotiated in November.

From Barron's

The temporary trade detente between the U.S. and China, which is scheduled to last until November, is already fragile.

From Barron's

The sentiment going into this week’s Lunar New Year is sharply different than the pessimism of a year ago, as China stacked up some wins in 2025: reigniting enthusiasm in its stock market with start-up DeepSeek’s artificial-intelligence successes and leveraging its critical-minerals dominance to reach a detente with the U.S.

From Barron's