fuse
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to combine or blend by melting together; melt.
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to unite or blend into a whole, as if by melting together.
The author skillfully fuses these fragments into a cohesive whole.
verb (used without object)
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to become liquid under the action of heat; melt.
At a relatively low temperature the metal will fuse.
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to become united or blended.
The two groups fused to create one strong union.
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Chiefly British. to overload an electric circuit so as to burn out a fuse.
idioms
noun
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a tube, cord, or the like, filled or saturated with combustible matter, for igniting an explosive.
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fuze.
verb (used with object)
idioms
verb
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to unite or become united by melting, esp by the action of heat
to fuse borax and copper sulphate at a high temperature
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to become or cause to become liquid, esp by the action of heat; melt
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to join or become combined; integrate
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(tr) to equip (an electric circuit, plug, etc) with a fuse
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to fail or cause to fail as a result of the blowing of a fuse
the lights fused
noun
noun
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a lead of combustible black powder in a waterproof covering ( safety fuse ), or a lead containing an explosive ( detonating fuse ), used to fire an explosive charge
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any device by which an explosive charge is ignited
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See blow 1
verb
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A safety device that protects an electric circuit from becoming overloaded. Fuses contain a length of thin wire (usually of a metal alloy) that melts and breaks the circuit if too much current flows through it. They were traditionally used to protect electronic equipment and prevent fires, but have largely been replaced by circuit breakers.
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A cord of readily combustible material that is lighted at one end to carry a flame along its length to detonate an explosive at the other end.
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To melt something, such as metal or glass, by heating.
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To blend two or more substances by melting.
Usage
What is a basic definition of fuse? Fuse means to unite or blend together. Fuse also refers to a protective device in an electrical current and to a tube or cord used to light explosives.Fuse is used in metalworking and similar industries to refer to combining metals by melting them down into liquids. In everyday use, fuse is used figuratively to mean to combine or unite anything as if they were melted together. For example, a band might fuse metal and electronic music to make a unique sound. Something that has been made by fusing things together is called a fusion.
- Real-life examples: Copper scraps can be fused together to make wires. Science fiction often fuses real science with fictional ideas. A mad scientist might fuse animals together to make monsters.
- Used in a sentence: The two kingdoms fused together to create a powerful nation.
- Real-life examples: Your house may have a fuse box that you can open to replace damaged fuses. Electronic devices such as televisions and computers almost always have fuses to prevent fires or explosions caused by electricity.
- Used in a sentence: The computer technician had to replace several blown fuses in the motherboard.
- Real-life examples: Almost all fireworks have fuses to prevent them from exploding immediately, such as in a person’s hand. An explosive weapon such as a bomb might have a fuse so the user can run away before it explodes. Explosives used in manufacturing or mining, such as dynamite, may also have fuses for the same reason.
- Used in a sentence: She lit the fuse of the giant firecracker.
Related Words
See melt 1.
Other Word Forms
- fuseless adjective
- fuselike adjective
Etymology
Origin of fuse1
First recorded in 1675–85 for the verb; from Latin fūsus “melted, poured, cast,” past participle of fundere
Origin of fuse1
First recorded in 1640–50; from Italian fuso, from Latin fūsus “spindle” (i.e., a spindle-shaped tube filled with combustible matter)
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.
What it says about America: A country facing deindustrialization and stagflation turned toward escapist glamour and pop songs that fused funk, soul and R&B—and got people on the dance floor.
Grant’s work is delicate: He cleaves each strand of a fiber-optic cable for a clean edge, then uses a machine to fuse the hair-thin filaments, which carry digital data at the speed of light.
"We had one lady who doesn't do any DIY, it all falls to her husband, but she went home and she fixed her cooker fuse," she added.
From BBC
He spent time in Ghana absorbing highlife's structure, horn phrasing, and dance-oriented arrangements before fusing it with jazz, funk, the rhythms of his own Yoruba people, and political storytelling.
From BBC
A 2021 photograph by Maree Clarke is an exception; family members in traditional regalia are seated by a reed canoe, with the skyline of Melbourne in the background, powerfully fusing past and present.
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.
