defuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
verb
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to remove the triggering device of (a bomb, etc)
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to remove the cause of tension from (a crisis, etc)
Commonly Confused
See diffuse
Other Word Forms
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.
Whether they can help defuse human conflict is another question.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Ritchson, according to the source, attempted to defuse the situation after Taylor allegedly dared him to get physical.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 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
One evening in early February, a handful of progressive activists boarded buses outside Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium to document instances of violence and defuse the situation if necessary.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
