- defuse
- transitive verb
Date: 1943
1. to remove the fuse from (as a mine or bomb)
2. to make less harmful, potent, or tense <defuse the crisis>
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
defuse
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defuse — ► VERB 1) remove the fuse from (an explosive device) in order to prevent it from exploding. 2) reduce the danger or tension in (a difficult situation). USAGE The verbs defuse and diffuse have different meanings but are often confused. Defuse… … English terms dictionary
defuse — de*fuse (d[ e]*f[=u]z ), v. t. [Cf. {Diffuse}.] 1. To disorder; to make shapeless. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To remove the fuse from; to deactivate (a bomb or other explosive device) or make it ineffective. Syn: deactivate. [WordNet 1.5… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
defuse — defuse, diffuse It is surprising how often diffuse (correctly = to disperse) is used for defuse in its figurative meaning ‘to remove tension or potential danger from (a crisis, etc.)’. Examples of this wrong use are: • An early cut in base rates … Modern English usage
defuse — 1943, from DE (Cf. de ) + FUSE (Cf. fuse). Related: Defused; defusing … Etymology dictionary
defuse — [v] disarm; smooth over alleviate, cripple, deactivate, demilitarize, diminish, disable, lessen, moderate, mollify, pacify, pad, restrain, soften, soothe, subdue, weaken; concepts 7,22,142,211,320 … New thesaurus
defuse — [dē fyo͞oz′, difyo͞oz′] vt. defused, defusing 1. to remove the fuse or fuze from (a bomb or other explosive device) 2. to render harmless 3. to make less tense, as by diplomacy … English World dictionary
defuse — de|fuse [ˌdi:ˈfju:z] v [T] 1.) to improve a difficult or dangerous situation, for example by making people less angry or by dealing with the causes of a problem defuse a situation/crisis/row etc ▪ Beth s quiet voice helped to defuse the situation … Dictionary of contemporary English
defuse — verb (T) 1 to improve a difficult or dangerous situation, for example by making people less angry or by dealing with the causes of a problem: We believe that greater economic stability might defuse the current crisis. | defuse tension/anger/fears … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
defuse — UK [diːˈfjuːz] / US [dɪˈfjuz] verb [transitive] Word forms defuse : present tense I/you/we/they defuse he/she/it defuses present participle defusing past tense defused past participle defused 1) to make a situation more relaxed by making people… … English dictionary
defuse — [[t]di͟ːfju͟ːz[/t]] defuses, defusing, defused 1) VERB If you defuse a dangerous or tense situation, you calm it. [V n] Police administrators credited the organization with helping defuse potentially violent situations... [V n] Officials will… … English dictionary
