Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between diffuse and defuse?
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. Although these word sound quite similar, their meanings are rather distinct. Defuse means "to make less harmful, potent, or tense"; the word has another, helpfully literal, meaning, which is "to remove the fuse from." Diffuse means "not concentrated or localized"; it comes from the Latin word diffūsus ("spread over a wide area").
What is the difference between diffuse and infuse?
Diffuse is commonly found used as both adjective ("not concentrated or localized") and verb ("to pour out and permit or cause to spread freely," "to scatter"), while infuse is almost entirely restricted to use as a verb. While the meannings of diffuse are mainly concerned with outward movement, those of infuse are inward; the word has such meanings as "to steep in liquid (such as water) without boiling so as to extract the soluble constituents or principles," "to administer or inject by infusion," and "to cause to be permeated with something (such as a principle or quality) that alters usually for the better."
What does diffuse pain mean?
Diffuse pain is pain is pain that not concentrated or localized, being instead spread throughout a wider area of the body.
Synonyms
Examples of diffuse in a Sentence
Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 10 July 2013
In large companies with diffuse corporate hierarchies, that legal bar can be difficult to meet.
—Richard Vanderford, WSJ, 30 Mar. 2023
The researchers’ findings, published this week in the scientific journal Nature Genetics, associate lower alcohol tolerance with higher risk of diffuse stomach cancer, a rarer type of gastric cancer that affects more than one area of the stomach.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2023
The red regions toward the top of this image are areas where dust clouds are relatively diffuse.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2022
Dragonfly 44 and its ilk are known as ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs).
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 7 Nov. 2022
First, there are two ultra-diffuse galaxies that appear to be satellite members of a massive group dominated by NGC 1052: DF2 and DF4.
—Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 22 June 2021
In Los Angeles County, the impacts of the pandemic have been relatively diffuse, with millions of residents suffering and grieving in isolation across a famously vast sprawl.
—Matthew Bloch, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2021
In large part, that’s because the CO2 in power plant emissions is relatively diffuse.
—Tim McDonnell, Quartz, 13 Aug. 2020
David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
Hostage negotiators were deployed over a public address system in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
The mutant form does not react to the same stimuli but retains the virus’s ability to diffuse into human cells.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
The light-reflecting particles gently diffuse the look of your makeup without any camera flashback.
—Talia Connor, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024
To go with the launch, Fenty Beauty released a new makeup brush, the Precision Highlighter Brush 135, lending the soft, diffusing glow Demi’Glow is known for.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
Despite a thunderstorm rumbling nearby, the clouds diffused at just the right moment to avoid completely ruining the view of the total solar eclipse on that hot summer day.
—USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
Acknowledging and owning our errors diffuses tension and also demonstrates integrity and resilience.
—Frayda Leibtag, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
The pot holder is made from thick cotton, which diffuses heat well and protects hands and countertops.
—Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diffuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
Middle English, "dispersed, verbose (of speech or writing)," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French diffus, borrowed from Latin diffūsus "spread over a wide area, (of writing) extensive, verbose," from past participle of diffundere "to pour out over a wide surface, spread, extend, squander" — more at diffuse entry 2
Verb
Middle English, in past participle diffusid, borrowed from Latin diffūsus, past participle of diffundere "to pour out over a wide surface, spread out, extend, squander," from dif-, assimilated form of dis- dis- + fundere "to pour, shed" — more at found entry 5
Adjective
1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Phrases Containing diffuse
Articles Related to diffuse
Dictionary Entries Near diffuse
Cite this Entry
“Diffuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diffuse. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
diffuse
2 of 2 verb
Medical Definition
diffuse
1 of 2 adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on diffuse
Nglish: Translation of diffuse for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of diffuse for Arabic Speakers
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