de-escalate

American

[dee-es-kuh-leyt] / diˈɛs kəˌleɪt /

Or deescalate

verb (used with or without object)

de-escalated, de-escalating

to decrease in intensity, magnitude, etc..

to de-escalate a war.

de-escalate British

/ diːˈɛskəˌleɪt /

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of de-escalate

First recorded in 1960–65; de- + escalate

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.

But we believe we all should work to take this down and de-escalate - so much is happening around us where we need to stand together.

From BBC

Støre said they had conveyed opposition to proposed tariff increases over the Greenland dispute, and pointed to the need to de-escalate, proposing a three-way phone call the same day.

From BBC

Vazquez said it appears the agents did not try to de-escalate the situation or attempt to go inside the building where it would have been safer.

From Los Angeles Times

Disgraced former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly has urged ICE to de-escalate.

From Salon

These concessions de-escalated the war and saved tens of thousands of lives.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023