de-escalate
Other forms: de-escalating; de-escalated
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.
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diminish in size, scope, or intensity
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reduce the level or intensity or size or scope of
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Vocabulary lists containing de-escalate
After her father leaves her family, high school senior Noor Khan moves from Chicago to a small town, where she starts a movement to challenge the prejudiced book bans she finds at her new school.
This novel in verse follows Marisol, the fifteen-year-old daughter of a mythical creature called a soucouyant, and Genevieve, a seventeen-year-old navigating her relationships with her stepmother and new siblings, as they uncover the magic and deep family secrets that bind them together.