diffuse
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Related to diffuse: Diffuse axonal injury
diffuse
to pour out and spread; to scatter widely or thinly; disseminate: diffuse the seeds
Not to be confused with:
defuse – to remove the fuse from; to make less dangerous or tense: His apology defused a potentially ugly situation.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
dif·fuse
(dĭ-fyo͞oz′)v. dif·fused, dif·fus·ing, dif·fus·es
v.tr.
1. To cause to spread out freely: smoke that is diffused throughout the room.
2. To make known to or cause to be used by large numbers of people; disseminate: diffuses ideas over the internet.
3. To make less brilliant; soften: light that is diffused through frosted glass.
4. To make less intense; weaken: a remark that diffused the tension in the interview.
5. Physics To cause to undergo diffusion.
v.intr.
1. To become widely dispersed; spread out: The hormone diffuses throughout the body.
2. Physics To undergo diffusion.
adj. (dĭ-fyo͞os′)
1. Widely spread or scattered; not concentrated: Diffuse light is often hard to read by.
2. Wordy or unclear: a diffuse description. See Synonyms at wordy.
[From Middle English, dispersed, from Anglo-Norman diffus, from Latin diffūsus, past participle of diffundere, to spread : dis-, out, apart; see dis- + fundere, to pour; see gheu- in Indo-European roots.]
dif·fuse′ly (-fyo͞os′lē) adv.
dif·fuse′ness (-fyo͞os′nĭs) n.
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.
diffuse
vb
1. to spread or cause to spread in all directions
2. (General Physics) to undergo or cause to undergo diffusion
3. to scatter or cause to scatter; disseminate; disperse
adj
4. spread out over a wide area
5. lacking conciseness
6. (Botany) (esp of some creeping stems) spreading loosely over a large area
7. (General Physics) characterized by or exhibiting diffusion: diffuse light; diffuse reflection.
8. (Botany) botany (of plant growth) occurring throughout a tissue
[C15: from Latin diffūsus spread abroad, from diffundere to pour forth, from dis- away + fundere to pour]
diffusely adv
difˈfuseness n
diffusible adj
difˌfusiˈbility, difˈfusibleness n
Usage: Avoid confusion with defuse
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
dif•fuse
(v. dɪˈfyuz; adj. -ˈfyus)v. -fused, -fusing,
adj. v.t.
1. to pour out and spread: oil diffused over a surface.
2. to spread or scatter widely or thinly; disseminate.
3. Physics. to spread or scatter by diffusion.
v.i. 4. to spread.
5. Physics. to intermingle by diffusion.
adj. 6. characterized by great length or discursiveness in speech or writing; wordy.
7. widely spread or scattered; dispersed.
[1350–1400; < Latin diffūsus, past participle of diffundere to spread over, diffuse =dif- dif- + fundere to pour]
dif•fuse′ly (-ˈfyus li) adv.
dif•fuse′ness, n.
dif•fus′i•ble (-ˈfyu zə bəl) adj.
dif•fus`i•bil′i•ty, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
diffuse
- Based on Latin diffundere, "pour out," from fundere, "pour," it means "to spread out."See also related terms for pour.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
diffuse
Past participle: diffused
Gerund: diffusing
| Imperative |
|---|
| diffuse |
| diffuse |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | diffuse - move outward; "The soldiers fanned out" spread, distribute - distribute or disperse widely; "The invaders spread their language all over the country" percolate - spread gradually; "Light percolated into our house in the morning" creep - grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface); "ivy crept over the walls of the university buildings" mantle - spread over a surface, like a mantle |
| 2. | diffuse - spread or diffuse through; "An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration"; "music penetrated the entire building"; "His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks" | |
| 3. | diffuse - cause to become widely known; "spread information"; "circulate a rumor"; "broadcast the news" disseminate, pass around, circulate, broadcast, circularise, circularize, spread, disperse, propagate, distribute podcast - distribute (multimedia files) over the internet for playback on a mobile device or a personal computer sow - introduce into an environment; "sow suspicion or beliefs" circulate, go around, spread - become widely known and passed on; "the rumor spread"; "the story went around in the office" popularise, popularize, vulgarise, vulgarize, generalise, generalize - cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use; "They popularized coffee in Washington State"; "Relativity Theory was vulgarized by these authors" | |
| Adj. | 1. | diffuse - spread out; not concentrated in one place; "a large diffuse organization" distributed - spread out or scattered about or divided up |
| 2. | diffuse - (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected | |
| 3. | diffuse - lacking conciseness; "a diffuse historical novel" prolix - tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length; "editing a prolix manuscript"; "a prolix lecturer telling you more than you want to know" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
diffuse
verb
1. spread, distribute, scatter, circulate, disperse, dispense, dispel, dissipate, propagate, disseminate Our aim is to diffuse new ideas obtained from elsewhere.
adjective
2. rambling, loose, vague, meandering, waffling (informal), long-winded, wordy, discursive, verbose, prolix, maundering, digressive, diffusive, circumlocutory His writing is so diffuse that it is almost impossible to understand.
rambling brief, to the point, concise, terse, succinct, apposite, compendious
rambling brief, to the point, concise, terse, succinct, apposite, compendious
Usage: This word is quite commonly misused instead of defuse, when talking about calming down a situation. However, the words are very different in meaning and should never be used as alternatives to each other.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
diffuse
verbTo extend over a wide area:
Using or containing an excessive number of words:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
diffuse
A. [dɪˈfjuːs] ADJ (= spread out) [light] → difuso; (= long-winded) [style, writer] → difuso, prolijo
B. [dɪˈfjuːz] VT [+ light] → difundir; [+ heat] → difundir, esparcir; [+ information, ideas] → difundir
C. [dɪˈfjuːz] VI [heat, gas] → difundirse, esparcirse
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
diffuse
(diˈfjuːz) verb to (cause to) spread in all directions. difundir
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
dif·fuse
vt. difundir, extender.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
diffuse
adj difusoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.