dial back
B2 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To make something less strong, less extreme, or less intense — like turning a dial to a lower setting.
Literal meaning: To turn a dial backwards to reduce a setting.
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
informal
To reduce the intensity, level, or extent of something.
"The manager asked the team to dial back their expectations before the quarterly review."
"We need to dial back the partisanship and find common ground."
— Barack Obama, interview with CBS News (2013)
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Common in American English. Used in political, business, and personal contexts. The metaphor comes from physically turning a dial backwards. Often used of rhetoric, emotions, or commitments.
Commonly used with
rhetoric expectations production aggression ambition spending
Forms
Base
dial back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
dials back
he/she/it
Past simple
dialed back
yesterday
Past participle
dialed back
have + pp
-ing form
dialing back
continuous
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Synonyms
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