dial down

verb

To reduce or diminish in effect or intensity.

“Let's dial down the anger in this conversation.”

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Meanings

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

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

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo reduce or diminish in effect or intensity.

    Let's dial down the anger in this conversation.

    1 more example

    We felt there was too much graphic detail in the first draft, and thus asked the writer to dial it down.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 調低 /调低, 降低
  • 調低 /调低 (tiáodī)reduce in intensity
  • 降低 (jiàngdī)reduce in intensity
  • 減少 /减少 (jiǎnshǎo)reduce in intensity
Finnish vähentää
  • vähentääreduce in intensity
German vermindern
  • vermindernreduce in intensity
Russian приглуша́ть, приглуши́ть
  • приглуша́ть (priglušátʹ)reduce in intensity
  • приглуши́ть (priglušítʹ)reduce in intensity
  • уменьша́ть (umenʹšátʹ)reduce in intensity
  • уме́ньшить (uménʹšitʹ)reduce in intensity
  • убавля́ть (ubavljátʹ)reduce in intensity
  • уба́вить (ubávitʹ)reduce in intensity
Spanish disminuir, rebajar
  • disminuirreduce in intensity
  • rebajarreduce in intensity
  • reducirreduce in intensity
  • menguarreduce in intensity
Swedish skala ner, minska
  • skala nerreduce in intensity
  • minskareduce in intensity
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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