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

Instead of employing tactics that might defuse a standoff with Richard, police break down the door to the Hollis apartment. —Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025

Despite conflicting statements between the two American presidents on whether sanctions against North Korea were still on the table, Mr. Carter was credited with defusing the crisis and winning curbs on the North’s nuclear weapons program. —Bill Marsh, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024

The desperation to turn their season around and defuse the ticking time bomb of a potential Fox trade request could motivate the Kings to call Miami about Butler despite the Heat's bluster about not trading him. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

In 1994, Carter became the first U.S. president — former or sitting — to visit North Korea, a controversial trip that defused an immediate crisis. —Emily Harris, Axios, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined at sense 1