defuse

verb

de·​fuse (ˌ)dē-ˈfyüz 

defused; defusing; defuses

transitive verb

1

: to remove the fuse from (a mine, a bomb. etc.)

2

: to make less harmful, potent, or tense

defuse a crisis

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

Skilled negotiators helped defuse the crisis.

Recent Examples on the Web

John steps in and jacks Clown up, pinning an arm behind her back, but Parker comes in and defuses the tension. —Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025

Hannah-Kim and her husband asked the reporting officer to step in and defuse the situation. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 23 June 2025

Cousins then appeared to make a striking motion with his arm before a teammate stepped in to defuse the situation. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 10 June 2025

At the time, officials said that the bombs were scheduled to be defused on Wednesday — and that the danger zone, with a radius of 1,000 meters, was going to be cordoned off and evacuated. —David Chiu, People.com, 4 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for defuse

• accrues
• accuse
• aircrews
• amuse
• bamboos
• breakthroughs
• canoes
• cashews
• chartreuse
• confuse
• construes
• ensues