“We need to diffuse the tension in the meeting.”
Confusables Entry 133 / 1011 60-second read
Defuse vs. Diffuse
To remove a fuse (de-escalate) versus to spread out.
The comparisoni
“We need to defuse the tension in the meeting.”
More examplesii
01
He tried to diffuse the situation with a joke.
He tried to defuse the situation with a joke.
02
The scent of the perfume defused through the room.
The scent of the perfume diffused through the room.
The ruleiii
¶
DEFUSE = to make a situation less tense or dangerous (like a bomb).
They sound similar and both involve 'breaking up' or 'reducing' something, but one is about intensity and the other is about distribution.
Memory aidiv
Remember it like this
De-fuse = remove the fuse. Diffuse = Disperse.