fuse
1 Americannoun
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a tube, cord, or the like, filled or saturated with combustible matter, for igniting an explosive.
-
fuze.
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
verb (used with object)
-
to combine or blend by melting together; melt.
-
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)
-
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
-
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
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
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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 They were traditionally used to protect electronic equipment and prevent fires, but have largely been replaced by circuit breakers.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.
Synonym Usage
See melt 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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)
Origin of fuse2
First recorded in 1675–85 for the verb; from Latin fūsus “melted, poured, cast,” past participle of fundere
Explanation
A fuse is something that burns in order to ignite a bomb. Do you see anything near you that resembles a bundle of dynamite sticks with a fuse burning down? If so, stop reading this and GET OUT OF HERE! Figuratively, if you say that someone has a short fuse, it means they get angry easily. If someone gets so angry they lose their temper, you can say that they blew a fuse. But this comes from another meaning of fuse — a device that interrupts the flow of electrical current so the system doesn’t get overloaded. If you use the toaster, microwave and dishwasher at the same time, you might literally blow a fuse. As a verb, if two things fuse, they blend or stick together.
Vocabulary lists containing fuse
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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.
See Examples For:
The Ferus Gallery was a revolving door of experimentation at the time and helped fuse the city’s otherwise sprawling and disparate art scene.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
"Their tissues fuse if they are from the same clone. We see something similar in humans. Organ transplants are often successful if the donor is your identical twin."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
The retired electrical appliances engineer planted the device on the camera and lit a fuse.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
A fuse on one drone didn’t work and two other drones crashed, we believe, before reaching their targets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
He lit another match and bent toward the fuse.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
Xi fused China’s commercial maritime interests with its military ambitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
In practice, the crumbs more or less fused into a single crust over the slick cabbage beneath.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
By the time Coralie Fargeat’s 2024 “The Substance” reaches its gloriously grotesque climax, Demi Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle and Margaret Qualley’s Sue have effectively fused into the spectacularly deformed creature known as Monstro Elisasue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
They offer deinfibulation - a procedure that can be carried out during pregnancy that to separate fused tissue and enable safer births.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The silver architecture looks kind of ridiculous to me, like a spaceship and spiderweb fused together, but everyone always takes pictures of it like it’s some sort of masterpiece.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
First, pursuing a side project or structured hobby prevents what Ibarra calls the “work-role merger,” the dangerous fusing of one’s identity entirely with a single employer or job title.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Specialists were able to identify Nancy's condition, which is caused by parts of the skull fusing together before birth, merely by visual observation and she was then offered reconstructive surgery on the NHS.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
He’s more positive about robotic brains becoming better at fusing multiple sources of data and turning that into action toward the end of this decade.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Then: “Even if we spend the evening at home this feeling of integration, or our interior and our exterior fusing together, occurs.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Tinners and electricians used fire pots for melting, bending, and fusing.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
