defuse

English

Etymology 1

de- +‎ fuse

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diːˈfjuːz/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːz

Verb

defuse (third-person singular simple present defuses, present participle defusing, simple past and past participle defused)

1. (transitive) To remove the fuse from (a bomb, etc.).
2. (transitive, figurative) To make less dangerous, tense, or hostile.

   to defuse a hostage situation

Usage notes

The words defuse and diffuse are sometimes confused.

Related terms

• defusion
• defusive
• defuze

Translations

to remove the fuse from a bomb

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: zərərsizləşdirmək
• Basque: indar-gabetu
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 拆除（引信）

• Czech: zneškodnit (cs) pf, zneškodňovat impf
• Danish: demontere
• Dutch: ontmantelen (nl), onschadelijk maken
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: purkaa (fi), tehdä vaarattomaksi
• French: désamorcer (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: entschärfen (de)
• Hungarian: hatástalanít (hu)
• Italian: disinnescare (it)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Luxembourgish: entschäerfen
• Polish: rozbrajać impf, rozbroić pf
• Portuguese: desarmar (pt)
• Romanian: dezamorsa (ro)
• Russian: размини́ровать (ru) impf (razminírovatʹ), размини́ровано pf (razminírovano)
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: desactivar (es)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: знешко́дити pf (zneškódyty), знешко́джувати impf (zneškódžuvaty)

to make something less dangerous

• Basque: baretu, lasaitu
• Dutch: de angel halen uit
• Finnish: laukaista (fi), purkaa jännitys
• French: désamorcer (fr)
• German: entschärfen (de)
• Polish: rozładowywać (pl) impf, rozładować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: apaziguar (pt), acalmar (pt)
• Romanian: dezamorsa (ro)
• Spanish: apaciguar (es), calmar (es)

Etymology 2

Compare diffuse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈfjuːz/
• Rhymes: -uːz
• Homophones: diffuse

Verb

defuse (third-person singular simple present defuses, present participle defusing, simple past and past participle defused)

1. (obsolete) To disorder; to make shapeless.
   • 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:

     If but as well I other accents borrow / That can my speech defuse,