Deescalate

Tom tried to deescalate the situation.

The police officer tried to deescalate the situation.

He managed to deescalate the situation before it became an actual fight.

He somehow managed to deescalate the situation before it turned into a physical altercation.

Learn how to deescalate conflict at work.

The chief said officers are trained to try to deescalate a situation and to minimize or avoid the use of force whenever possible.