tone down

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While the first day of their summit was light on concrete deals, the overarching take is that both countries are eager to tone down their economic rivalry.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

A longtime coach would have told him to tone down such commentary, but oh right: Alcaraz released his longtime coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, a few weeks ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

For his sole Fourth of July column, he urged people to tone down their pomp and circumstance and to relate to their fellow Americans rather than “to fixed ideas that apparently are not working.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2025

In his letter, the ambassador called on Macron to tone down his criticism of Israel and outlined examples of antisemitism which he said had "long scarred French life".

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

“You know, May’s not here. You can tone down the whole noble prince thing. Besides, you’re probably a bit more useful to them alive than dead.”

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley