de-escalate

See also: deescalate

English

Alternative forms

• deescalate

Etymology

From de- +‎ escalate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /diːˈɛskəleɪt/

Verb

de-escalate (third-person singular simple present de-escalates, present participle de-escalating, simple past and past participle de-escalated)

1. (ambitransitive) To decrease in intensity or magnitude.

   Synonym: disintensify

   • 2026 January 19, Bonnie S. Glaser, Zack Cooper, “A Failed Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Would Be Disastrous for Xi Jinping”, in Foreign Policy‎^[1], archived from the original on 19 January 2026, Analysis‎^[2]:

     We asked authors to consider two scenarios imaginable in the next five years. In the first scenario, a minor skirmish escalated into a multiweek maritime blockade of Taiwan by China. Although several dozen members of the Chinese and Taiwanese military were killed, U.S. intervention eventually forced China to de-escalate.

Derived terms

• de-escalation

Translations

to decrease in intensity or magnitude — see also disintensify

• Catalan: desescalar
• Greek: αποκλιμακώνω (el) (apoklimakóno)
• Portuguese: desescalar
• Spanish: desescalar (es)
• Swedish: trappa ned (sv), trappa ner (sv)