abate, allay, alleviate, anesthetize, appease, arrest, assuage, attemper, attenuate, backpedal, backwater, bank the fire, bate, benumb, block, blunt, bog down, bottle up, brake, chasten, check, clip the wings, come apart, confine, constrain, control, countercheck, curb, cushion, dam up, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, decelerate, degenerate, delay, detain, deteriorate, die down, diffuse, dilute, diminish, disimprove, disintegrate, disjoin, disperse, dissolve into chaos, downplay, drag, draw rein, dull, ease, ease matters, ease off, ease up, ebb, extenuate, fall, fall back, foment, free, get worse, give relief, grow worse, hang up, hinder, hold back, hold in check, hold up, impede, inhibit, intercept, interfere, intermeddle, interrupt, intervene, keep back, keep in check, keep within bounds, lag, lax, lay, lenify, lessen, let down, let go, let up, let up on, lighten, loose, loosen, lose ground, lose momentum, lose speed, lull, make late, meddle, mire, mitigate, moderate, modulate, mollify, numb, obstruct, obtund, oppose, pad, palliate, play down, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, reduce, reduce the temperature, reef, regress, rein in, relapse, relax, relent, relieve, remit, repress, resist, restrain, retard, retrograde, retrogress, salve, scatter, scotch, set back, sicken, slack, slack off, slack up, slackening, slake, slip back, slow-up, slow, slow down, slow up, smother, snub, sober, sober down, soften, soothe, stay, stifle, stop, stupe, subdue, subside, suppress, take in sail, tame, temper, throttle down, tone down, tune down, unbend, unbrace, underplay, unglue, unlax, unleash, unstick, unstrain, unstring, untighten, untune, unwind, wane, water down, weaken, worsen