1
as in to reduce
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
first, the mediator tried to de-escalate the tension in the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to decrease
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the fighting de-escalated as the peace talks progressed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of de-escalate
Security had to intervene and de-escalate the situation.
—
Roberta F. Rodrigues, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
In the video, police appeared to make no attempt to de-escalate the situation before opening fire within seconds.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Family members and neighbors questioned why police did not do more to de-escalate the situation or use nonlethal weapons.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 13 Apr. 2025
Both nations have huge incentives to work out a deal that could at least de-escalate the trade war.
—Bob Davis, Time, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for de-escalate
Roberta F. Rodrigues, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
In the video, police appeared to make no attempt to de-escalate the situation before opening fire within seconds.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Family members and neighbors questioned why police did not do more to de-escalate the situation or use nonlethal weapons.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 13 Apr. 2025
Both nations have huge incentives to work out a deal that could at least de-escalate the trade war.
—Bob Davis, Time, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for de-escalate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for de-escalate
Verb
-
Keeping yourself hydrated and reducing your salt intake may also help reduce bloating and help your body rid itself of excess fluid. Types of Creatine Several types of creatine are used in supplements.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Ars Video The technique reduced the lag between the patient’s brain signals and the resultant audio from the eight seconds the group had achieved previously to one second.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The number of Jesuits globally has steadily decreased since the 1960s, when there were more than 36,000.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Weeks 5 and 9 deliberately decrease your amount of running time after several weeks of building.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Whereas a decline in home values diminishes the equity investors might hold in their properties, which limits their ability to leverage assets for additional investments or refinancing opportunities.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Meanwhile, a more constrained and domestically focused healthcare agenda is likely to diminish trust in federal health agencies, limit access to culturally competent care and produce a loss of global leadership in health innovation.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
But much of that has subsided now; the Steelers, after all, don’t have a second-round pick and trading up could be out of the question as a result.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Apr. 2025
-
While immediate inflation concerns have subsided, the current administration's aggressive tariff and immigration policies are creating new economic anxieties that could lead to future instability.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The overall unemployment rate for the working-age population in cities eased slightly to 5.2% in March from a two-year high of 5.4% in February.—
Evelyn Cheng,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2025
-
This shift acknowledges cannabis’s medical potential and eases some research restrictions.—
Matt Rozo,
Mercury News,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“De-escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/de-escalate. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share