What does "fuse" mean?
A cord that, when lit, conveys the fire to some explosive device, such as a bomb.
Fuse
/fjuːz/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A cord that, when lit, conveys the fire to some explosive device, such as a bomb.
- Grammar: fuse is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: act in concert, act together, add, admix.
- Useful contrasts: disjoint, septate, breaker.
- Usage evidence: No sooner had Tom turned on the TV than the fuse blew.
How to use "fuse"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fuse" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fuse" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fuse" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fuse" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fuse" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "act in concert" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fuse", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A cord that, when lit, conveys the fire to some explosive device, such as a bomb.
"The Government, having lit the fuse, is not going to be allowed to flee the explosion."
- 2 A device to prevent excessive overcurrent from overload or short circuit in an electrical circuit, containing a component that melts and interrupts the current when too high a load is passed through it.
- 3 any igniter that is used to initiate the burning of a propellant wordnet
- 4 A cord that, when lit, conveys the fire to some explosive device, such as a bomb.; An otherwise stable arbitrarily long repeating pattern that, when perturbed from one end, destructively carries that perturbation at a constant speed to the other end.
- 5 an electrical device that can interrupt the flow of electrical current when it is overloaded wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 The mechanism that ignites the charge in an explosive device; a detonator.
- 7 A tendency to lose one's temper. figuratively
"When talking about being laid off, he has a short fuse."
- 8 A kind of match for starting a fire:; A friction match for smokers' use, having a bulbous head which when ignited is not easily blown out even in a gale of wind.
- 9 A kind of match for starting a fire:; A match made of paper impregnated with niter and having the usual igniting tip.
Verb
- 1 To furnish with or install a fuse in (an explosive device) (see Usage notes for noun above).
- 2 To liquify by heat; melt. transitive
"Pure sodium is a lustrous metal... it fuses very easily at a temperature of 97°, and distils at a bright red heat (742°...)"
- 3 mix together different elements wordnet
- 4 To melt together; to blend; to mix indistinguishably. transitive
"That each, who seems a separate whole, Should move his rounds, and fusing all The skirts of self again, should fall Remerging in the general Soul, Is faith as vague as all unsweet: […]"
- 5 make liquid or plastic by heating wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 To melt together. intransitive
- 7 become plastic or fluid or liquefied from heat wordnet
- 8 To combine through nuclear fusion. ergative
- 9 equip with a fuse; provide with a fuse wordnet
- 10 To furnish with or install a fuse in (a circuit) to protect against overcurrent. transitive
- 11 To stop operating, having been protected against overcurrent by its fuse blowing. intransitive
"When the bath overflowed, the downstairs lights fused, so we need a torch."
- 12 To form a bicyclic compound from two similar or different types of ring such that two or more atoms are shared between the resulting rings.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"No sooner had Tom turned on the TV than the fuse blew."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fuse"?
Common synonyms include: act in concert, act together, add, admix, aegis, affiliate.
How do you use "fuse" in a sentence?
No sooner had Tom turned on the TV than the fuse blew.
How do you pronounce "fuse"?
Pronounced /fjuːz/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Italian fuso and French fusée, from Latin fūsus (“spindle”).
Etymology 2
Back-formation from fusion (“to melt”), first to verbal sense, then noun.