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to diffuse

to diffuse

40 5.5
To spread out and reach many people or places
  • verb
  • /dɪˈfjuz/
translation icon : difundir
  • Why don't you just come over then, and we'll just diffuse the situation a little.
  • diffuse widely
  • diffuse rapidly
  • diffuse knowledge

So that will absorb or diffuse noise accordingly.

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Examples

  • So now when we can both explain each other's sides, we can diffuse that situation.

  • - and I was trying to diffuse the situation.

  • Not to mention, a good way to diffuse the kind of panic that people get.

  • Energy systems often take time to take shape and to diffuse into broader use.

    Academic text (1999)
  • I... uh... read once that the best way to diffuse a tense situation is with a little humor.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The gains won by the African American community in Baltimore soon diffused to other cities.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Our results demonstrate that disc golf has diffused rapidly and thoroughly throughout the U.S.

    Academic text (2013)
  • He tried to diffuse the tension in the room with a joke.

  • The team worked together to diffuse arguments during the meeting.

  • To avoid conflict, she stepped in to diffuse the disagreement between her friends.

Synonyms

to spread
vsto diffuse
664 1.6

To put a thin layer over a surface

is about reaching many people and covering wide areas rather than only surface layering
to scatter
vsto diffuse
187 2.8

To spread small things like leaves or seeds over an area without order

is about broad, perhaps orderly distribution rather than random scattering
to disperse
vsto diffuse
104 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

is more about even, wide distribution rather than breaking up or scattering
to circulate
vsto diffuse
103 3.9

To spread information or documents among people

is about wider distribution to reach many people rather than local sharing
to distribute
vsto diffuse
87 2.0

Give things to several people or places

is about wide reaching coverage and mass exposure rather than simple handing out
to broadcast
vsto diffuse
81 3.0

To make news or information known to many people

is about broad distribution across areas and people rather than only public media use
to pass out
vsto diffuse
68 2.7

To give things to people in a group, like papers or drinks

is about wide distribution across places or populations rather than direct handouts
to disseminate
vsto diffuse
48 6.8

To spread information or ideas widely so many people know them

is a general act of wide physical or social distribution, not just idea sharing
to penetrate
vsto diffuse
44 5.0

Spread through something and reach all parts, like a strong smell

is about wide external distribution reaching areas or people rather than entering all parts
to permeate
vsto diffuse
24 6.0

To spread through something and reach every part

is about spreading outward and reaching many people rather than internal presence
to spread out
vsto diffuse
24 3.1

To arrange or unfold things so they cover a larger area

is more general, meaning to reach many people or cover wide areas
to propagate
vsto diffuse
23 5.9

Spread ideas, news, or feelings to many people

is less about deliberate promotion and more about broad distribution
to pervade
vsto diffuse
22 6.7

Spread through a place so you notice it everywhere

is about distributing across places or people rather than filling internal space
to fill the air
vsto diffuse
18 3.7

A strong sound, smell, or feeling that people notice around them

is about wide distribution across areas and people rather than just atmospheric presence
to spread over
vsto diffuse
17 3.6

Form a layer across a surface, like fog or icing

is about distributing widely to reach people and cover large regions
to suffuse
vsto diffuse
8 7.6

To spread slowly through something, often as light, color, or a feeling

is more general mass distribution rather than a slow internal spread
to pass around
vsto diffuse
4 2.0

Make information spread among many people

is broader, covering areas rather than only being shared within a group

Antonyms

130 3.6

To bring people or things together in one place

Compounds

diffuse nebula
  • Specialized
9.1

A cloud of gas and dust lit by nearby stars, seen as a faint hazy patch in the sky

How Widely

to permeate
24 6.0
to disperse
104 4.4
to diffuse
40 5.5
to scatter
110 2.7

Surface Forms

diffuse infinitive
diffused past
diffused past participle
diffusing present participle
diffuses third person singular

Morphology

diffuse = fuse (semi-transparent) = dif + fuse

Formally analyzable as dif- (dis- allomorph) + fuse, but modern 'fuse' usually means 'join', so the sense 'spread/scatter' is not fully obvious to learners.

Etymology

Diffuse comes from the Latin parts dis- 'away' and fundere 'to pour', so think of pouring a liquid out in every direction. That's why to diffuse (verb) means to spread something out widely so it reaches a large area or many people.