defuse

Cooper said he had to defuse that encounter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Wataka tried to defuse tensions by inviting the officials and police to attend the concert, an offer that wasn’t accepted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

On Tuesday, before Svyrydenko's announcement, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk -- at loggerheads with the country's nationalist president on a number of fronts -- sought to defuse the tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Meanwhile, at another peaceful protest on Wednesday night at Stormont - the site of Northern Ireland's devolved parliament - one protester claimed online misinformation was being used to defuse protests.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

I smiled and spoke as politely as I could to defuse the situation.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

The men work for Turn Up Knox, a year-old outreach program that mentors kids and defuses situations that could escalate into violence.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2023

The songs are back, preceded by dialogue in which Guenevere preemptively defuses their sting with Sorkin-esque wit.

From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2023

Zivic defuses the argument by suggesting Jackson toss the popcorn into his mouth.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2022

"He has got to make a clean breast. I usually find that if you make your apologies, it defuses the issue. Can't have it hanging on," said the lawmaker.

From Reuters ● Jan. 12, 2022

And although there couldn’t be a more neutral statement, it defuses any insectious worries I might have given her.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

He asked NotebookLM to “write a 600 word news story framed around how Oracle defused the key risk going into 2026 with a press release about a single bond deal.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

She declined to answer questions on whether tensions had been defused with Washington.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026

The summit will offer Brussels the chance to turn the page after a bruising transatlantic crisis over Greenland -- now seemingly defused.

From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026

Traders will weigh whether the risk in Iran is “genuinely defused or simply resting,” because calm in the Persian Gulf has a “habit of braking without warning,” he added.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 16, 2026

And I took great care to appear so deeply, thoroughly unmoved by the whole photo debacle that the mess defused itself in a matter of days.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Several chapters are devoted to Kip’s stories of defusing bombs and saving English lives, all aided by Lord Suffolk’s encouragement.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

Instead of defusing the situation or pivoting to a new subject, Kimmel leaned in on Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

Netflix has amended its proposed $72-billion purchase of Warner Bros. and HBO, converting it to an all-cash offer in hopes of defusing criticisms from rival bidder, David Ellison’s Paramount.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026

But O’Donnell likens the dynamics of the cast at that time to a dysfunctional sisterhood, adding that Morgan defusing the situation with Bensimon felt like someone trying to comfort a sibling.

From Salon ● May 20, 2025

“Everyone has their own reasons for the choices they make,” Patria said, defusing the charged atmosphere, “and we have to respect that.”

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez