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 states that the fuze that was used in the exercise is “extremely reliable” and had only one previous recorded malfunction, in 2017.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
The first production unit of the replacement fuze was approved through the National Nuclear Security Administration's rigorous Quality Assurance Inspection Procedure in March.
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
They may be fired by powder hose, fuze or electricity.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6 "Foraminifera" to "Fox, Edward" by Various
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
“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
The Mark-80 warhead, which was developed soon after World War II, was designed to be easily fitted with a variety of tail fins and fuzes for use in a range of situations.
From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2022
It follows the development and installation of similar fuzes — designed by the same nuclear laboratory — on hundreds of smaller-yield submarine warheads in a program completed in January 2019.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2021
The fuzes must obviously be of uniform electrical resistance, to ensure that all the connected charges will explode simultaneously.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 1 "Bisharin" to "Bohea" by Various
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
And Walt, using the focus rod for power, fuzed the control panel in an instant beyond all use.
From Earth Alert! by Kris Neville
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
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
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.
