Definition of "de-escalate" [de-escalate]

• To decrease the size, scope, or intensity of (a war, for example). (verb-transitive)
• To decrease or diminish in size, scope, or intensity: The birth rate has begun to de-escalate. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Mr. Gorrell said he shared a tent with a homeless man who worked hard for the movement trying to de-escalate conflict, serving food and just helping any way he could."
• "Mediation requires an entirely different skill set than diplomacy, including the ability to de-escalate high emotions, the ability to remain absolutely neutral and impartial, the ability to recognize and manage cognitive biases that interfere with clear decision-making, the ability to choose which form of negotiation or problem-solving is appropriate in the moment, and a host of other skills that only come with explicit training and deep experience."
• "It works by interrupting the transmission of conflict: by using credible messengers trained in violence prevention to defuse or de-escalate it."