suffuse

American  

[suh-fyooz] / səˈfyuz /

verb (used with object)

suffused, suffusing

1. to overspread with or as with a liquid, color, etc.

   Synonyms:

   flood, bathe, diffuse, pervade, cover

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suffuse British  

/ səˈfjuːʒən, səˈfjuːz /

verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to spread or flood through or over (something)

   the evening sky was suffused with red

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Other Word Forms

• suffusedly adverb
• suffusion noun
• suffusive adjective
• unsuffused adjective
• unsuffusive adjective

Etymology

Origin of suffuse

First recorded in 1580–90, suffuse is from the Latin word suffūsus (past participle of suffundere ). See suf-, fuse ²

Example Sentences

But with “All That’s Left of You,” she draws from family stories and her own childhood memories of visiting Palestine to make a film suffused with sadness and tension.

From Los Angeles Times

But rearing children is like a long baseball season suffused with an endless series of balls, strikes, hits and misses.

From The Wall Street Journal

As you chew, the cardamom bits send out little bolts of flavor, suffusing the cake with a lovely scent of spice.

From The Wall Street Journal

Consider all that has happened in the past six months to erase the bearish sentiment that suffused our spring survey—and Wall Street.

From Barron's

It’s suffused with love and a desire to finally understand.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bathe
• permeate
• saturate
• steep
• tinge