de-escalates

verb

present tense third-person singular of de-escalate
1
as in reduces
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 decreases
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-escalates On the other hand, if the conflict with Iran de-escalates and oil prices settle down soon, bond yields could fall. — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026 You will be surprised by how often the familiarity of the song de-escalates the tension. — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for de-escalates
  1. reduces
  2. decreases
  3. diminishes
  4. subsides
  5. declines
Verb
  • Automating classification while reserving human review for high-risk cases strengthens governance, improves compliance and reduces the risk of sensitive data exposure.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Northrop Grumman slashes overall weight and reduces total part counts, manufacturing combat-ready autonomous jets at a fraction of typical costs.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of reduces
Verb
  • The front finally moves through on Friday, but some heavy rain will still be possible early, before the chance of rain decreases into the weekend.
    — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The Nebraska researchers also found that hafnia becomes more stable as its thickness decreases.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of decreases
Verb
  • When the quantum of color deposited by the brush diminishes, and grows lighter, its essence as paint applied by brush reveals itself.
    — Barry Schwabsky, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The impressive density of this overload, which embraces the possibilities of relatively new technology to find novel ways to deliver and compress context, diminishes as Carter is drawn to Japan by Izumi Adachi (Kiko Mizuhara).
    — Vadim Rizov, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of diminishes
Verb
  • Chadchart said despite the heavy rain, flooding should recede once the rain subsides, as city officials are working to drain floodwaters as quickly as possible.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Ideally, those refugees would remain in human care for years or even decades until the mussel invasion subsides.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of subsides
Verb
  • Hur’s film declines to name a culprit, and its detractors argue the open ending points the finger at Park Chung-hee or his government.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Don’t wait until performance declines to question your systems, structure or strategy.
    — James Barlow, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of declines

Browse Nearby Words

de-escalated
de-escalates
de-escalating
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“De-escalates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/de-escalates. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All