defuse
verb
Did you know?
defuse or diffuse?
Many people find it difficult to remember the difference between defuse and diffuse, and when faced with the need for one of these words simply grab whichever one first comes to mind. But it needn’t be this way: the meanings of these two are quite a bit different, and there is a simple way to differentiate between them. Defuse is formed by adding the prefix de- to the word fuse; you are removing the fuse (either literally or figuratively) when you defuse a situation, much as defanging something entails removing the fangs. Diffuse, when used as a verb, tends to carry meanings such as “spread” or “scatter.” Additionally, diffuse is the only one which may be found used as an adjective.
Examples of defuse in a Sentence
Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2025
What was for Randolph a crisis to defuse and for Washington one to avoid was for Patrick Henry an opportunity.
—Andrew Lawler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
The device was deemed too precarious to defuse by hand, so a sophisticated metal robot was used.
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
And Beijing is well aware that Japan’s investment into the U.S. economy helped defuse the two countries’ 1980s trade tensions.
—Brendan Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defuse
Cite this Entry
“Defuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defuse. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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