defuse

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defuse

to remove the fuse from; to make less dangerous or tense: His apology defused a potentially ugly situation.
Not to be confused with:
diffuse – to pour out and spread; to scatter widely or thinly; disseminate: diffuse the seeds
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

de·fuse

 (dē-fyo͞oz′)
tr.v. de·fused, de·fus·ing, de·fus·es
1. To remove the fuse from (an explosive device).
2. To make less dangerous, tense, or hostile: a diplomatic move that defused the international crisis.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

defuse

(diːˈfjuːz) or

defuze

vb (tr)
1. (Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) to remove the triggering device of (a bomb, etc)
2. to remove the cause of tension from (a crisis, etc)
Usage: Avoid confusion with diffuse
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

de•fuse

(diˈfyuz)

v.t. -fused, -fus•ing
1. to remove the fuze from (a bomb, mine, etc.).
2. to make less dangerous, tense, or embarrassing: to defuse a tense situation.
[1940–45]
de•fus′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

defuse


Past participle: defused
Gerund: defusing

Imperative
defuse
defuse
Present
I defuse
you defuse
he/she/it defuses
we defuse
you defuse
they defuse
Preterite
I defused
you defused
he/she/it defused
we defused
you defused
they defused
Present Continuous
I am defusing
you are defusing
he/she/it is defusing
we are defusing
you are defusing
they are defusing
Present Perfect
I have defused
you have defused
he/she/it has defused
we have defused
you have defused
they have defused
Past Continuous
I was defusing
you were defusing
he/she/it was defusing
we were defusing
you were defusing
they were defusing
Past Perfect
I had defused
you had defused
he/she/it had defused
we had defused
you had defused
they had defused
Future
I will defuse
you will defuse
he/she/it will defuse
we will defuse
you will defuse
they will defuse
Future Perfect
I will have defused
you will have defused
he/she/it will have defused
we will have defused
you will have defused
they will have defused
Future Continuous
I will be defusing
you will be defusing
he/she/it will be defusing
we will be defusing
you will be defusing
they will be defusing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been defusing
you have been defusing
he/she/it has been defusing
we have been defusing
you have been defusing
they have been defusing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been defusing
you will have been defusing
he/she/it will have been defusing
we will have been defusing
you will have been defusing
they will have been defusing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been defusing
you had been defusing
he/she/it had been defusing
we had been defusing
you had been defusing
they had been defusing
Conditional
I would defuse
you would defuse
he/she/it would defuse
we would defuse
you would defuse
they would defuse
Past Conditional
I would have defused
you would have defused
he/she/it would have defused
we would have defused
you would have defused
they would have defused
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.defuse - remove the triggering device from
remove, take away, withdraw, take - remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract; "remove a threat"; "remove a wrapper"; "Remove the dirty dishes from the table"; "take the gun from your pocket"; "This machine withdraws heat from the environment"
fuse - equip with a fuse; provide with a fuse
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

defuse

verb
1. calm, settle, cool, contain, smooth, stabilize, damp down, take the heat or sting out of Officials will hold talks aimed at defusing tensions over trade.
calm intensify, worsen, escalate, exacerbate, aggravate, magnify, inflame, make worse
2. deactivate, disable, disarm, make safe Police have defused a bomb.
deactivate arm, activate see diffuse
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
يَنْزَع الفَتيل، يُبْطِل مَفْعوليُهَدِّئ، يُلَطِّف
uklidnitzmírnitzneškodnit
afdramatisereafvæbnedesarmere
hatástalanít
gera sprengju óvirkakoma í veg fyrir, hindra
išimti detonatorių
mazināt spriedzi/saspīlējumunoņemt detonatoru
etkisiz hale getirmekyatıştırmak

defuse

[diːˈfjuːz] VT [+ bomb] → desactivar (fig) [+ tension] → calmar, apaciguar; [+ situation] → reducir la tensión de
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

defuse

[diːˈfjuːz] vt
[+ bomb] → désamorcer
[+ crisis, situation] → désamorcer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

defuse

vt (lit, fig)entschärfen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

defuse

[diːˈfjuːz] vt (bomb) → disinnescare
to defuse the situation → fare in modo che la situazione non degeneri
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

defuse

(diːˈfjuːz) verb
1. to remove the fuse from (a bomb etc).
2. to make harmless or less dangerous. He succeeded in defusing the situation.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in periodicals archive ?
Cash collected from the fundraising event - which continues all week - will go towards buying pantomime tickets for children supported by Barnardo's Defuze service in Coventry.
It was part of Barnado's Defuze project which offers practical and emotional support to children following domestic violence.
Its name, Defuze, was chosen by young people in the city and will provide confidential support for those aged 18 and under.