fusion

noun

fu·​sion ˈfyü-zhᵊn 

often attributive

1

: the act or process of liquefying or rendering plastic by heat

2

: a union by or as if by melting: such as

a

: a merging of diverse, distinct, or separate elements into a unified whole

Opera is a fusion of several arts.

b

: a political partnership : coalition

a fusion of Democrats and independent Republicans

—New York Times

c

: popular music combining different styles (such as jazz and rock)

d

: food prepared using techniques and ingredients of two or more ethnic or regional cuisines

a restaurant that specializes in Indian-Chinese fusion

called also fusion cuisine

3

: the union of atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei resulting in the release of enormous quantities of energy when certain light elements unite

nuclear fusion

Synonyms

• mixture
• amalgamation
• amalgam
• blend
• mix
• alloy
• combination
• synthesis

Examples of fusion in a Sentence

a fusion of different methods

a fusion of musical styles

The show is a fusion of news and entertainment.

The fusion of different cultural influences is evident in her sculpture.

Recent Examples on the Web

En bref, Paris has mastered post-Olympic fusion tourism. —Blythe Lawrence, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

The brothers kept up their semi-digitized fusion of cadence-lypso and jing-ping (a kind of Dominican folk music), playing tea parties across the island. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 27 June 2025

The crisis in the eastern DRC, which shares a border with Rwanda and harbors large deposits of minerals critical to the production of electronics, is a fusion of complex issues. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 27 June 2025

This matter-harvesting continues until the star is sufficiently massive enough to trigger the fusion of hydrogen to helium at the heart of the star, the nuclear process that defines what a fully grown or main-sequence star is. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin fūsiōn-, fūsiō "process of pouring, casting of molten metal," going back to Latin, "process of pouring, effusion," from fud-, variant stem of fundere "to pour, shed, cast (liquid metal)" (Medieval Latin also, "to melt down, make liquid") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at found entry 5

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fusion

• nuclear fusion

Rhymes for fusion

• allusion
• collusion
• conclusion
• confusion
• contusion
• delusion
• diffusion
• effusion
• exclusion
• extrusion
• illusion
• inclusion

Kids Definition

fusion

noun

fu·​sion ˈfyü-zhən 

1

: the act or process of melting or making fluid by heat

2

: union by or as if by melting

3

: the union of light atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei resulting in the release of enormous quantities of energy

Medical Definition

fusion

noun

fu·​sion ˈfyü-zhən 

often attributive

1

a

: the act or process of liquefying or rendering plastic by heat

b

: the liquid or plastic state induced by heat

2

: a union by or as if by melting together: as

a

: a merging of diverse elements into a unified whole

specifically : the blending of retinal images in binocular vision

b

: a combination of ingredients achieved by heating and mixing together

c

(1)

: a blend of sensations, perceptions, ideas, or attitudes such that the component elements can seldom be identified by introspective analysis

(2)

: the perception of light from a source that is intermittent above a critical frequency as if the source were continuous

called also flicker fusion

compare flicker

d

: the surgical immobilization of a joint see spinal fusion

3

: the union of atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei resulting in the release of enormous quantities of energy when certain light elements unite

called also nuclear fusion

fusional

-ᵊl 

adjective