Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

defuse

[dee-fyooz]

Example Sentences Origin

verb (used with object)

to remove the fuze from (a bomb, mine, etc.).

to make less dangerous, tense, or embarrassing: to defuse a potentially ugly situation.

verb (used without object)

to grow less dangerous; weaken.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Defuse is one of our favorite verbs.

So is fletcherise. Does it mean:

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Also, defuze.

Origin:
1940–45; de- + fuse¹

Related forms

de·fus·er, noun

Can be confused: defuse, diffuse.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To defuse

Example Sentences

The administration wants to defuse resistance to the new law by granting waivers to maintain minimal coverage.

Being able to address any troublesome issues up front can defuse potential problems.

They are hoping that targeted subsidies will defuse the anger of the hauliers, who were crucial to the last protests.

EXPAND

The administration wants to defuse resistance to the new law by granting waivers to maintain minimal coverage.

Being able to address any troublesome issues up front can defuse potential problems.

They are hoping that targeted subsidies will defuse the anger of the hauliers, who were crucial to the last protests.

Police arm themselves with it to defuse volatile situations.

Gimbel thought the fountain should have a reflective surface, but with some texture to defuse glare.

He says it's not uncommon for established organizations to take action to try and defuse a particularly durable urban myth.

They may also signal an attempt to defuse the potential for a party rift on the issue.

In making the announcement, the professors wanted to defuse.

So he is likely to try to defuse disputes about morality.

In theory, winemakers can defuse the threat by simply shifting production to more congenial locations.

The move to map college campuses may be a way to defuse these worries.

But by fiddling the rules a bit, the government helped to defuse this threat, which had anyway been overblown.

Recorded lectures also could help defuse some of the hostility aimed at academics these days.

The new health secretary is doing his best to defuse expectations.

And even then, you can often divert or defuse their villainy.

Some fast footwork followed in a bid to defuse the outrage.

If degrees in the humanities came with a similar kind of support guarantee, that would defuse much of the ethics argument.

That's a better plan of action than feeling uncomfortable and it could potentially defuse the situation without ill feeling.

Experts were neither able to defuse the huge device nor.

They may well help defuse your anxieties about peer observation and lead to the best report you are capable of obtaining.

Robots that help to detect and defuse mines are already doing service, although these are operated by remote control.

Cuomo has been quietly but methodically working to defuse an issue that helped unravel his last quest for the job.

But his apologies failed to defuse the anger of lawmakers in both parties.

Yet it was also an occasion to reflect on what can be done to defuse tensions if municipal leaders agree to face them honestly.

Leaders of both countries tried today to defuse the incident.

Kelly said prison administrators were trying to defuse the tension by communicating with inmates.

Nigeria has tried to defuse animosities with an ethnic quota system.

The rally, attended by thousands of people, helped defuse what might have been a tense situation in the state.

The organization supports only nonviolent campaigns and works to defuse tensions, not heighten them.

But it does seem to defuse some widespread anger and frustration.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

defuse or sometimes (US) defuze (diːˈfjuːz)

—vb
1.	to remove the triggering device of (a bomb, etc)
2.	to remove the cause of tension from (a crisis, etc)



defuze or sometimes (US) defuze

—vb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

defuse

1943, from de- + fuse.

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for defuse?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

Matching Quote

"It is time to provide a smashing answer for those cynical men who say that a democracy cannot be honest, cannot be efficient.... We have in the darkest moments of our national trials retained our faith in our own ability to master our own destiny."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help

defuse

de·fuse