diffuse

adjective

/dɪˈfjuːs/

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spread over a wide area
- diffuse light
- a diffuse community
not clear or easy to understand; using a lot of words
- a diffuse style of writing

Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin diffus- ‘poured out’, from the verb diffundere, from dis- ‘away’ + fundere ‘pour’; the adjective via French diffus or Latin diffusus ‘extensive’, from diffundere.

diffuse

verb

/dɪˈfjuːz/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they diffuse	/dɪˈfjuːz/ /dɪˈfjuːz/
he / she / it diffuses	/dɪˈfjuːzɪz/ /dɪˈfjuːzɪz/
past simple diffused	/dɪˈfjuːzd/ /dɪˈfjuːzd/
past participle diffused	/dɪˈfjuːzd/ /dɪˈfjuːzd/
-ing form diffusing	/dɪˈfjuːzɪŋ/ /dɪˈfjuːzɪŋ/

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[transitive, intransitive] diffuse (something) (formal) to spread something or become spread widely in all directions
- The problem is how to diffuse power without creating anarchy.
- Technologies diffuse rapidly.
[intransitive, transitive] diffuse (something) (specialist) if a gas or liquid diffuses or is diffused in a substance, it becomes slowly mixed with that substance
[transitive] diffuse something (formal) to make light shine less brightly by spreading it in many directions
- The moon was fuller than the night before, but the light was diffused by cloud.