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

Stocks continue to trade higher on hopes that the war will somehow be defused in the near term. —Yarden Segev, NBC news, 13 Apr. 2026

Surveillance footage from inside the store showed tension between Dempsey and Thurston, which Dempsey attempted to defuse by shaking Thurston’s hand. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026

Nine stops in all, not including his many ventures off his line to sweep up behind his defenders and defuse threat after threat. —Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

To defuse the bomb, the natural choice was Angelina. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Mar. 2026

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