defuse
verb
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
Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
According to a news release by city officials, two American 20-hundredweight bombs and one American 10-hundredweight bomb with impact fuses needed to be defused.
—Nick Butler, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2025
The largest evacuation since World War II has been taking place in Cologne, as authorities sought to defuse three huge WWII bombs, as several major events are concurrently held in the city.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 June 2025
Last month, Sacks co-hosted a launch party at the Occidental, a venerable restaurant near the White House where political operatives once worked to defuse the Cuban missile crisis over crab cakes and pork chops.
—Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defuse
Cite this Entry
“Defuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defuse. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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