defuse

American  

[dee-fyooz] / diˈfyuz /

Or defuze

verb (used with object)

defused, defusing

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

2. to make less dangerous, tense, or embarrassing.

   to defuse a potentially ugly situation.

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verb (used without object)

defused, defusing

1. to grow less dangerous; weaken.

defuse British  

/ diːˈfjuːz /

verb

1. to remove the triggering device of (a bomb, etc)

2. to remove the cause of tension from (a crisis, etc)

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Commonly Confused

See diffuse

Other Word Forms

• defuser noun

Etymology

Origin of defuse

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

Example Sentences

This hint of retreat from the earlier crackdown shows that even Gnassingbé's nimble international networking cannot defuse the underlying political discontent at home.

From BBC

Two potentially damaging stories have been defused, for now.

From BBC

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was more cautious, saying Lebanon remained "far" from diplomatic normalisation with Israel and that the talks were focused on "defusing tension".

From BBC

The baby faces, she said, defused the tense environment and made the ridiculousness of the conflict even more stark.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Mean” comments can sometimes just be ill-judged humor intended to defuse the atmosphere and, yes, sometimes they can be mean.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• alleviate
• deactivate
• lessen
• soothe