defuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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defuses,
present (3rd person singular)
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defused,
past participle, past
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defusing
present participle
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to remove the fuze from (a bomb, mine, etc.).
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to make less dangerous, tense, or embarrassing.
to defuse a potentially ugly situation.
verb (used without object)
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defuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defused,
past participle, past
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defusing
present participle
verb
-
to remove the triggering device of (a bomb, etc)
-
to remove the cause of tension from (a crisis, etc)
Commonly Confused
See diffuse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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defusesimple
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defusessimple
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have defusedperfect
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has defusedperfect
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am defusingprogressive
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are defusingprogressive
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is defusingprogressive
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have been defusingperfect progressive
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has been defusingperfect progressive
Past
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defusedsimple
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had defusedperfect
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was defusingprogressive
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were defusingprogressive
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had been defusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of defuse
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She implemented wry wit like a tactical defense, a trusty tool in her arsenal that could disarm an opponent and defuse tricky conversations.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Cooper said he had to defuse that encounter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
To defuse the outcry, the FDA last fall agreed to reconsider the drug.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
US President Donald Trump frequently refers to Munir as his "favourite field marshal", after a rapport built during US efforts to defuse a short but intense armed conflict between Pakistan and rival India last year.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
However, from the color of his rays she knew at a glance whether he was hatching a swindle, and she could defuse one of his tantrums with a few simple, mocking words.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
The men work for Turn Up Knox, a year-old outreach program that mentors kids and defuses situations that could escalate into violence.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
An unprecedented compromise between the enemy states, the deal opens the way for offshore energy exploration and defuses one source of potential conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
From Reuters ● Oct. 18, 2022
Reporting their results this Wednesday in The Proceedings of the Royal Society A, the team concludes that water both makes and defuses these doughy volcanic bombs.
From New York Times ● Sep. 11, 2021
Studies by Kross and others show that talking to yourself in the third person takes the edge off stress and defuses it, often quite quickly.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2021
And although there couldn’t be a more neutral statement, it defuses any insectious worries I might have given her.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Police defused the explosives and believe a second drone may have collided with a cargo aircraft nearby.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
She declined to answer questions on whether tensions had been defused with Washington.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026
The summit will offer Brussels the chance to turn the page after a bruising transatlantic crisis over Greenland -- now seemingly defused.
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
Traders will weigh whether the risk in Iran is “genuinely defused or simply resting,” because calm in the Persian Gulf has a “habit of braking without warning,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 16, 2026
And I took great care to appear so deeply, thoroughly unmoved by the whole photo debacle that the mess defused itself in a matter of days.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
Several chapters are devoted to Kip’s stories of defusing bombs and saving English lives, all aided by Lord Suffolk’s encouragement.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Instead of defusing the situation or pivoting to a new subject, Kimmel leaned in on Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Every crisis requiring defusing in “The Pitt” rolls right into the team’s midst.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026
But diplomats say there is little doubt the US played an important role in defusing the crisis this time.
From BBC ● May 11, 2025
This is exactly the kind of thing I am supposed to be defusing!
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
