How to Use defuse in a Sentence

defuse

verb
  • Skilled negotiators helped defuse the crisis.
  • Bayleigh tries to defuse the situation, but there’s too much tension at this point.
    Kyle Fowle, EW.com, 11 Sep. 2020
  • Among the resources would be obtaining body cameras and boosting training to defuse encounters with the public.
    Eileen Kelley, sun-sentinel.com, 12 Aug. 2020
  • Emily wants to speak to Omar directly, thinking her presence — and the truth — will defuse the situation.
    Sarene Leeds, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024
  • This time last year, WeWork was busy trying to defuse investor concerns over its corporate governance structure.
    Kathryn Vasel, CNN, 15 Sep. 2020
  • His answer was aimed at defusing a deposition clip shown by MGA’s lawyer during opening statements.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2024
  • Teams alternate between detonating and defusing a bomb.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
  • When the recording starts, the white woman is outside a restaurant, discussing an apparent bump of a black woman’s fifteen-year-old daughter, attempting to defuse the situation and depart.
    Thomas Chatterton Williams, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020
  • Now’s the time for a Roth conversion One way to defuse the bomb?
    Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2024
  • This led to a tense standoff that police had to defuse.
    Parth M.n., WIRED, 23 Nov. 2023
  • As the chaos unfurled on-screen, the program scrambled to defuse the tension in the room.
    Sarah Grant, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2022
  • The man’s 52-year-old cousin tried to defuse the situation, then Tate swung at the 52-year-old.
    Stephanie Casanova, chicagotribune.com, 14 Jan. 2022
  • Congress needs to act to defuse this ticking time bomb.
    Jacob J. Lew For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, 8 Oct. 2021
  • Rayford tried to defuse a fight inside the club, Jackson said, and shots were fired.
    Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 11 Oct. 2021
  • The army deployed to defuse the tensions and free the family, who had taken shelter in the house with the body.
    Star Tribune, 1 Aug. 2021
  • At-bats feel like trying to defuse a ticking time bomb.
    Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Feb. 2023
  • But her staff has had to learn to endure and defuse confrontations.
    Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 19 May 2024
  • In the game, Spider-Man has to ascend a building to defuse bombs planted by the Green Goblin.
    Dan Gvozden, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 June 2023
  • The light-hearted online banter seems to be at least in part an attempt to defuse that.
    Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2023
  • Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, has tried to defuse the age issue by turning it into a joke.
    Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024
  • The unit had four bomb experts, two of whom detected mines that the other two could defuse.
    WSJ, 7 June 2021
  • Treating a joke as if it were meant seriously is the best way to defuse it.
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2024
  • Dorn told police that Brown, his nephew, stepped in to try to defuse the tension, the documents say.
    Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
  • If things go awry, the staff looks for ways to defuse the tension quickly, without letting things boil over.
    Katie Kelly Bell, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2024
  • On his end, McAfee tried to defuse the conflict during his show last week and again on Tuesday.
    Christopher Brito, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2024
  • Andy has taught Charlie how to defuse her power, which is triggered by anger or pain.
    Clark Collis, EW.com, 9 Feb. 2022
  • The woman walked away, towards the city hall lot, to defuse the situation, but the man followed.
    cleveland, 14 June 2022
  • That's when an AI bot can step in to cut waiting time and help defuse the situation.
    David Morgan, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2024
  • The two struggled for about an hour, as Colin Haynie tried to defuse the situation and get the gun away from his son.
    Paighten Harkins, The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 July 2023
  • The agents were calmly trying to defuse the situation, which seemed to anger the woman even more.
    Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: