Dictionary

defuse en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /diːˈfjuːz/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- English fuse English defuse From de- + fuse.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To remove the fuse from (e.g. a bomb).
   • Shepard: I wear a lot of hats, Mr. Vargas. Some days I shut down criminals. Some days I defuse nukes. Some days I like to enjoy private vices. You understand me? 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Noveria:
2. (figuratively, transitive) To make less dangerous, tense, or hostile.
   • to defuse a hostage situation
   • Shaken by the biggest challenge to their authority in years, Brazil’s leaders made conciliatory gestures on Tuesday to try to defuse the protests engulfing the nation’s cities. 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 Jun 2013:
   • Defying this, Western queer culture actively defuses from cisnormative values, yet in so doing may also fuse with their new, queernormative value constructs. 2020, Alex Stitt, ACT for Gender Identity: The Comprehensive Guide, page 202:
   • The diplomats are trying to defuse the escalating crisis.
   • In recent months, those tactics have come to include defensive maneuvers aimed at defusing the media counteroperations of the United States and its allies. 2008 April 4, Michael Moss, “Rising Leader for Next Phase of Al Qaeda’s War”, in The New York Times:
   • As a result of the Santiago Principles and other parallel efforts at education such as the SWF scoreboard that I have featured in my research, a substantial amount of distrust surrounding SWFs has been defused. 2010, Edwin M. Truman, Sovereign Wealth Funds: Threat Or Salvation?, →ISBN, page 8:

Forms

Deriveds

undefused · defuser · defusable · defusal

Relateds

defusive · defusion · defuze

Synonyms

de-escalate

Translations (40)

fi tehdä vaarattomaksi (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · nl ontmantelen (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · pt acalmar (to make something less dangerous) · az zərərsizləşdirmək (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · lb entschäerfen (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · eu baretu (to make something less dangerous) · nl ontmijnen (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · pl rozbroić (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · fr désamorcer (to make something less dangerous) · pt apaziguar (to make something less dangerous) · de entschärfen (to make something less dangerous) · hu hatástalanít (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · fi laukaista (to make something less dangerous) · es apaciguar (to make something less dangerous) · pl rozbrajać (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · ru размини́ровать (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · fi purkaa jännitys (to make something less dangerous) · nl ontmijnen (to make something less dangerous) · cmn 拆除（引信） (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · uk знешко́дити (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · nl de angel halen uit (to make something less dangerous) · ro dezamorsa (to make something less dangerous) · eu lasaitu (to make something less dangerous) · ru размини́ровано (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · uk знешко́джувати (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · pl rozładować (to make something less dangerous) · fi purkaa (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · es calmar (to make something less dangerous) · pl rozładowywać (to make something less dangerous) · eu indar-gabetu (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · ro dezamorsa (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · pt desarmar (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · da demontere (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · it disinnescare (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · cs zneškodnit (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · cs zneškodňovat (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · de entschärfen (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · es desactivar (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · fr désamorcer (to remove the fuse from a bomb) · nl onschadelijk maken (to remove the fuse from a bomb)

defuse en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /dɪˈfjuːz/

Etymology

Compare diffuse.

Meanings

1. (obsolete) To disorder; to make shapeless.
   • If but as well I other accents borrow / That can my speech defuse, c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv], line 2:

Forms