From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdefusede‧fuse /ˌdiːˈfjuːz/ verb [transitive] 1 CALMto improve a difficult or dangerous situation, for example by making people less angry or by dealing with the causes of a problemdefuse a situation/crisis/row etc Beth’s quiet voice helped to defuse the situation.defuse tension/anger etc The agreement was regarded as a means of defusing ethnic tensions.2 SCBto remove the fuse from a bomb in order to prevent it from exploding→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
defuse• Police found and defused a number of limpet mines.• I was trying to defuse a volatile situation.• The others were found and defused just in time.• Another writer defused my initial fears of motherhood by telling me that she worked more efficiently after her child was born.• Worse yet, it may resort to additional expedient action to disguise or defuse the consequences of previous counterproductive actions.• This should not defuse the dramatic tension.• Diplomats are trying to defuse the situation.• Negotiation could sometimes defuse these situations and produce more acceptable consequences for both parties.defuse tension/anger etc• However, military leaders also apparently counseled Bucaram to leave Quito in order to defuse tensions.• It, too, has been trying to defuse tensions.• They know how helpful tears are to defuse tension and how constructive their aftermath can be. 