fuze
Americannoun
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a mechanical or electronic device to detonate an explosive charge, especially as contained in an artillery shell, a missile, projectile, or the like.
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fuse.
verb (used with object)
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fuzes,
present (3rd person singular)
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fuzed,
past participle, past
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fuzing
present participle
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fuzesimple
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fuzessimple
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have fuzedperfect
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has fuzedperfect
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am fuzingprogressive
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are fuzingprogressive
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is fuzingprogressive
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have been fuzingperfect progressive
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has been fuzingperfect progressive
Past
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fuzedsimple
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had fuzedperfect
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was fuzingprogressive
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were fuzingprogressive
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had been fuzingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fuze
First recorded in 1635–45; variant of fuse 1
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 Marines say that one of the Madis’s most promising features is its ability to fire a specialized 30mm round with a proximity fuze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
The report suggested possible causes for the premature fuze detonation but determined that military personnel were not at fault.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
It includes analysis through testing and other engineering tools to ensure the fuze will function as intended.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2024
Raytheon AIM-9X weapons developers explain that the Block 2 variant adds a redesigned fuze and a digital ignition safety device that enhances ground handling and in-flight safety.
From Fox News ● Jun. 1, 2020
The best procedure with field guns is said to be lengthening the fuze to obtain a high percentage of bursts on graze.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6 "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of" by Various
“Proximity fuzes are precision electromechanical devices, and the lines that build them at scale are few,” Sawyers said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
L3Harris, which makes fuzes for 30mm ammunition, is “rapidly scaling to meet the growing demand across a range of fuzes,” a spokeswoman for the Florida-based company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
The fuzes screwed into the nose of these shells, which are required to make the projectiles explode, are produced by contractors in other locations.
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2023
Air Force budget documents provided to Congress describe it as a “form, fit, and functionally equivalent replacement” for existing nuclear warhead fuzes.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2021
The tracks across the open up to the front line were rendered specially unpleasant by the pernicious '106' fuzes, with which the enemy's artillery was well supplied.
From The Story of the 2/4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry by Geoffrey Keith Rose
And Walt, using the focus rod for power, fuzed the control panel in an instant beyond all use.
From Earth Alert! by Kris Neville
No shell shall be fuzed unless it has been filled.
From Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition. by United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance
The thing wasn't fuzed for impact, then, but for time; and the activating mechanism would be shell-and shock-proof.
From Triplanetary by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith
All XV-in. shell shall be fitted with three fuze-holes, and issued for service fuzed with 3 1/2, 5, and 7 seconds fuzes.
From Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition. by United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance
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.
