Defuse vs Diffuse | Difference, Meaning & Examples
You can defuse a tense situation or a bomb, while gasses diffuse when released into the air, lampshades help to diffuse light throughout a room, and diffuse pain is spread out over a large area of the body.
- Defuse always functions as a transitive verb meaning “make safe or less dangerous” or “make calmer.” It is pronounced .
- Diffuse is a verb meaning “spread out,” “disperse,” or “scatter.”
- Diffuse is also an adjective meaning “spread out,” “dispersed,” or—in the context of communication— “unnecessarily wordy and indirect.”
- The adjective diffuse is pronounced while the verb diffuse is pronounced .
| Diffuse in a sentence | Defuse in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Skillfully engineered fake news tends to diffuse much more quickly than verified, factual information. [Verb] | The bomb disposal team was able to defuse the device. |
| The transparent curtains diffuse the light, creating a pleasant ambience. [Verb] | She tried to defuse the situation by changing the subject. |
| It didn’t take long for the smell of baking to diffuse throughout the house. [Verb] | The president spoke to all the leaders in the region yesterday in an attempt to defuse the crisis. |
| The problem is no longer concentrated in specific urban areas but has become much more diffuse. [Adjective] | His small talk broke the ice and helped to defuse the tension. |
| I think his explanation was deliberately diffuse and confusing. [Adjective] | It is questionable whether this will defuse the increasing threat of political unrest. |
- His smile helped to defuse the situation.
- His smile helped to diffuse the situation.
Diffuse meaning
The verb diffuse means “spread out,” “disperse,” or “scatter” and is often used in the context of light, gases, and scents as well as information, technology, and knowledge.
The odor molecules in the perfume diffuse through the air.
This strategy will help the new technology diffuse into global markets.
The adjective diffuse means “spread out,” “dispersed,” or “scattered.” It is also sometimes used in the context of communication (e.g., speech and writing) to mean “too wordy and unfocused.”
Is the pain in one place or is it more diffuse?
While political power was once concentrated in the capital, the reforms mean it has become much more diffuse.
She said that the middle section of my presentation was too diffuse and needed to focus on two or three main points.
Defuse meaning
The transitive verb defuse means “calm” or “make safe” in the context of dangerous or tense situations. The word originally referred to “making a bomb safe by removing the fuse,” and it is still used to mean “make an explosive device safe by disabling it.”
Will deploying more troops defuse or escalate the crisis?
The experts decided to carry out a controlled explosion rather than attempt to defuse the device.
Frequently asked questions about defuse vs diffuse
- How do you use diffuse in a sentence?
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You can use diffuse as a verb meaning “spread out” (e.g., “Knowledge of these new techniques gradually diffused throughout the country”) or an adjective meaning “spread out” or “dispersed” (e.g., “How can we make the light less glaring and more diffuse?).
On a related note, if you can’t decide whether diffuse or defuse is the word you need, bear in mind that you can only use “defuse” as a verb meaning “make safe,” “less dangerous,” or “calmer.”
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Paraphraser? You can use it to find alternative ways of expressing “diffuse” in your specific context.
- What does diffusion mean?
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Diffusion is the process of “diffusing,” meaning to “spread out” or “disperse.” In science, “diffusion” refers to how particles in gases and liquids naturally “spread out.”
Diffusion in a sentence examples Diffusion of new technology began to accelerate.A hot gas will diffuse more quickly than a cold one.
It can be tricky deciding whether diffuse or defuse is the right word; use “diffuse” if you mean “spread out.”
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser will help you to find alternative ways of expressing “diffusion” in your specific context.
