defuse

American

[dee-fyooz] / diˈfyuz /

Or defuze

verb (used with object)

defused, defusing

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)

defused, defusing

to grow less dangerous; weaken.

defuse British

/ diːˈfjuːz /

verb

to remove the triggering device of (a bomb, etc)
to remove the cause of tension from (a crisis, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Commonly Confused

See diffuse

Other Word Forms

defuser noun

Etymology

Origin of defuse

First recorded in 1940–45; de- + fuse ¹

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.

It is not clear how long it will take to defuse the bomb.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

If these megacap IPOs don’t come to market, it would defuse Grantham’s bearish prediction — and might even be bullish.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum tried to defuse a potentially explosive situation at her morning news conference on Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

The bloc's efforts to defuse Myanmar's ongoing civil war have centred around a five-point plan that Myanmar agreed to in 2021 but has borne little fruit.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

While black leaders had tried to defuse the situation after the tense marches of the summer, by that fall tempers were flaring again.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023