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

Garcelle tries to come in and defuse the situation by asking Dorit how the situation with PK, a tongue after it’s fully licked an ashtray, is going. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2025

Last July, its dialogue officers worked outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to help facilitate order and defuse tensions during protests. —Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jan. 2025

French, German and British diplomats are now set to meet their Iranian counterparts on Jan. 13 in an effort to defuse tensions, according to Reuters. —Greg Norman, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025

But Ian Bremmer, president and founder of the political risk consultancy group Eurasia Group, said Trump’s instinct to defuse tensions may be hard to pull off. —Brad Dress, The Hill, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined at sense 1