diffuse

[ verb dih-fyooz; adjective dih-fyoos ]

/ verb dɪˈfyuz; adjective dɪˈfyus /

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See synonyms for: diffuse / diffused / diffuses / diffusing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), dif·fused, dif·fusing.

to pour out and spread, as a fluid.

to spread or scatter widely or thinly; disseminate.

Physics. to spread by diffusion.

verb (used without object), dif·fused, dif·fusing.

to spread.

Physics. to intermingle by diffusion.

adjective

characterized by great length or discursiveness in speech or writing; wordy.

widely spread or scattered; dispersed.

Botany. widely or loosely spreading.

Optics. (of reflected light) scattered, as from a rough surface (opposed to specular).

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!

Question 1 of 7

Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?

First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.

First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.

First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.

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Origin of diffuse

1350–1400; Middle English (<Anglo-French ) <Latin diffūsus spread, poured forth. See dif-, fuse²

OTHER WORDS FROM diffuse

dif·fuse·ly

[dih-fyoos-lee], /dɪˈfyus li/, adverbdif·fuse·ness, nounin·ter·dif·fuse, verb, in·ter·dif·fused, in·ter·dif·fus·ing.non·dif·fuse, adjective

non·dif·fused, adjectivenon·dif·fus·ing, adjectiveo·ver·dif·fuse, verb, o·ver·dif·fused, o·ver·dif·fus·ing, adjectiveo·ver·dif·fuse·ly, adverbo·ver·dif·fuse·ness, nounre·dif·fuse, verb, re·dif·fused, re·dif·fus·ing.un·dif·fused, adjectivewell-dif·fused, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH diffuse

defuse, diffuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for diffuse

The move, among the first philanthropic efforts at a company that historically made few charitable commitments, did little to diffuse an increasingly heated debate about Amazon’s role in Seattle’s civic life.
Amazon pledges $2 billion for affordable homes near U.S. cities|Verne Kopytoff|January 6, 2021|Fortune
That would be similar to how humans smell compounds that diffuse through air.
Touching allows octopuses to pre-taste their food|Jonathan Lambert|January 4, 2021|Science News For Students
Most of the material that makes up this "cosmic web" is dark matter, along with diffuse and distant gas.
How the humble slime mold helped physicists map the cosmic web|Jennifer Ouellette|January 1, 2021|Ars Technica
The “very sinews of government are made strong by a diffused knowledge of this science,” he wrote.
When Science Was the Best Show in America - Issue 93: Forerunners|Lee Alan Dugatkin|November 18, 2020|Nautilus

The deeper we hiked into the woods, the more diffuse the crowds got.
Yellowstone National Park Is a Geyser Wonderland|Emily Pennington|November 18, 2020|Outside Online
Is memory made apt and extensive or narrow and diffusely irrelevant?
Human Nature and Conduct|John Dewey
In Section 106 we learned that most objects are visible to us because of the light diffusely reflected from them.
General Science|Bertha M. Clark
He seemed a trifle sulky, but he did not talk about himself diffusely, and lose his head when he was smoothed the right way.
T. Tembarom|Frances Hodgson Burnett
"Let me have the pleasure of telling it you my way," cried she, and told it diffusely, and kept him writhing.
White Lies|Charles Reade
Are the sensitive cells diffusely distributed in the organ or do they form a definite layer?
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose

British Dictionary definitions for diffuse

diffuse

verb (dɪˈfjuːz)

to spread or cause to spread in all directions

to undergo or cause to undergo diffusion

to scatter or cause to scatter; disseminate; disperse

adjective (dɪˈfjuːs)

spread out over a wide area

lacking conciseness

(esp of some creeping stems) spreading loosely over a large area

characterized by or exhibiting diffusiondiffuse light; diffuse reflection

botany (of plant growth) occurring throughout a tissue

Derived forms of diffuse

diffusely (dɪˈfjuːslɪ), adverbdiffuseness, noundiffusible (dɪˈfjuːzəbəl), adjectivediffusibility or diffusibleness, noun

Word Origin for diffuse

C15: from Latin diffūsus spread abroad, from diffundere to pour forth, from dis- away + fundere to pour

undefined diffuse

Avoid confusion with defuse

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

Medical definitions for diffuse

diffuse

[ dĭ-fyōōs′ ]

adj.

Not limited to one tissue or location; widespread.

v.

To spread or to be spread widely, as through a tissue.

Other words from diffuse

dif•fus′i•ble (-fyōō′zə-bəl) adj.

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diffuse

verb (used with object), dif·fused, dif·fusing.