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
Scott Peterson,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 June 2026
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told The Associated Press in March that Turkey had interceded to defuse the tensions.
—
ABC News,
28 June 2026
There is no demand to partially meet in order to defuse momentum.
—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
Luckily, Flyers fans were cool about it and decided to try to defuse the situation by buying a giant billboard.
—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defuse
Cite this Entry
“Defuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defuse. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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