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defuse

or de·fuze

[dee-fyooz]
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verb (used with object), de·fused, de·fus·ing.
  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), de·fused, de·fus·ing.
  1. to grow less dangerous; weaken.
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Origin of defuse

First recorded in 1940–45; de- + fuse1
Related formsde·fus·er, noun
Can be confuseddefuse diffuse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for defuser

defuse

sometimes US defuze

verb (tr)
  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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confusable

Avoid confusion with diffuse
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

Word Origin and History for defuser

defuse

v.

1943, from de- + fuse. Related: Defused; defusing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper