dial back

verb

To reduce (one's energy or intensity); to restrain (a feeling or action).

Similar
de-emphasizedownplay
Opposite
dial upratchet up
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Meanings

verbdial back (third-person singular simple present dials back, present participle (US) dialing back or (UK) dialling back, simple past and past participle (US) dialed back or (UK) dialled back)

present singular third person dials back · US participle present dialing back · UK participle present dialling back · US participle past dialed back · US past dialed back · UK participle past dialled back · UK past dialled back

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo reduce (one's energy or intensity); to restrain (a feeling or action).

    The Des Moines station asked him to dial back his coverage, facing what he called an understandable pressure to maintain ratings.

    2023 July 9, AP, “‘You should have seen this note’: US meteorologists harassed for reporting on climate crisis”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

    Synonyms: de-emphasize, downplay · Antonyms: dial up, ratchet up

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo reduce (one's energy or intensity); to restrain (a feeling or action).

Similar
de-emphasizedownplay
Opposite
dial upratchet up
Also see
back off
Cite this entry
APA

dial back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dial%20back

MLA

“dial back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dial%20back. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dial back,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dial%20back.

Source: dial back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.