defuse

verb

de·​fuse (ˌ)dē-ˈfyüz How to pronounce defuse (audio)
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 On Tuesday, Kevin Pietersen shared a strong message on X to defuse rumors about the Princess of Wales, 42, who was seen on video for the first time since her surgery in footage published by TMZ on Monday. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Scholars in China and abroad who hope the country might take a more liberal path sometimes look to history for examples of when party leaders made bold changes to defuse domestic and international tensions. Chris Buckley, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Being reactionary will defuse others from getting in your way. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024 The same with Team Xi defusing a ticking $9 trillion time bomb involving local government financing vehicles by then. William Pesek, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Networking experts can defuse the attacks by diverting the flood of internet traffic. Marc Levy, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2024 The forum would not directly mediate conflicts itself: cooperative security dialogues have proved most effective when focused on improving communication and coordination to defuse tensions and on providing mutual security and socioeconomic benefits to members. Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2024 German industry, forced to make significant concessions to workers to defuse the revolutionary situation in 1918, spent the next fourteen years trying to claw back those concessions. Christopher R. Browning, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024 Still, the increasing emphasis on protecting civilians helped defuse the angst among Democrats. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of defuse was in 1943

Dictionary Entries Near defuse

Cite this Entry

“Defuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defuse. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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