diffuse

American  

[dih-fyooz, dih-fyoos] / dɪˈfyuz, dɪˈfyus /

verb (used with object)

diffused, diffusing

1. to pour out and spread, as a fluid.

2. to spread or scatter widely or thinly; disseminate.

3. Physics. to spread by diffusion.

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verb (used without object)

diffused, diffusing

1. to spread.

2. Physics. to intermingle by diffusion.

adjective

1. characterized by great length or discursiveness in speech or writing; wordy.

2. widely spread or scattered; dispersed.

3. Botany. widely or loosely spreading.

4. Optics. (of reflected light) scattered, as from a rough surface (specular ).

diffuse British  

/ dɪˈfjuːzəbəl, dɪˈfjuːslɪ /

verb

1. to spread or cause to spread in all directions

2. to undergo or cause to undergo diffusion

3. to scatter or cause to scatter; disseminate; disperse

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adjective

1. spread out over a wide area

2. lacking conciseness

3. (esp of some creeping stems) spreading loosely over a large area

4. characterized by or exhibiting diffusion

   diffuse light

   diffuse reflection

5. botany (of plant growth) occurring throughout a tissue

Commonly Confused

See defuse

Other Word Forms

• diffusely adverb
• diffuseness noun
• diffusibility noun
• diffusible adjective
• interdiffuse verb
• nondiffuse adjective
• nondiffused adjective
• nondiffusing adjective
• overdiffuse verb
• overdiffusely adverb
• overdiffuseness noun
• rediffuse verb
• undiffused adjective
• well-diffused adjective

Etymology

Origin of diffuse

1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French ) < Latin diffūsus spread, poured forth. See dif-, fuse ²

Example Sentences

"When the thickness of a tissue increases, it's hard to diffuse that tissue with what it needs, so cells start dying," Noshadi said.

From Science Daily

Further analysis combining data from Hubble, Euclid, and Subaru uncovered a faint, diffuse glow surrounding the clusters.

From Science Daily

Also, LED lights "are a lot more directional, so you've got this much brighter, whiter light in a very directional point hitting your eye compared to the more diffuse halogen ones".

From BBC

Ragebait has diffused across the structure of the current internet, becoming so omnipresent that the Oxford English Dictionary made it their word of the year for 2025.

From Salon

Xu and team argue that any systems breakthrough or efficiency gains are diffused quickly across the ecosystem.

From MarketWatch