fuse

¹ American  

[fyooz] / fyuz /

noun

1. Electricity. a protective device, used in an electric circuit, containing a conductor that melts under heat produced by an excess current, thereby opening the circuit.

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verb (used with object)

fused, fusing

1. to combine or blend by melting together; melt.

2. to unite or blend into a whole, as if by melting together.

   The author skillfully fuses these fragments into a cohesive whole.

verb (used without object)

fused, fusing

1. to become liquid under the action of heat; melt.

   At a relatively low temperature the metal will fuse.

2. to become united or blended.

   The two groups fused to create one strong union.

3. Chiefly British. to overload an electric circuit so as to burn out a fuse.

idioms

1. blow a fuse, to lose one's temper; become enraged.

   If I'm late again, they'll blow a fuse.

fuse ² American  

[fyooz] / fyuz /

noun

1. a tube, cord, or the like, filled or saturated with combustible matter, for igniting an explosive.

2. fuze.

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verb (used with object)

fused, fusing

1. fuze.

idioms

1. have a short fuse, to anger easily; have a quick temper.

fuse ¹ British  

/ fjuːz /

verb

1. to unite or become united by melting, esp by the action of heat

   to fuse borax and copper sulphate at a high temperature

2. to become or cause to become liquid, esp by the action of heat; melt

3. to join or become combined; integrate

4. (tr) to equip (an electric circuit, plug, etc) with a fuse

5. to fail or cause to fail as a result of the blowing of a fuse

   the lights fused

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noun

1. a protective device for safeguarding electric circuits, etc, containing a wire that melts and breaks the circuit when the current exceeds a certain value

fuse ² British  

/ fjuːz /

noun

1. a lead of combustible black powder in a waterproof covering ( safety fuse ), or a lead containing an explosive ( detonating fuse ), used to fire an explosive charge

2. any device by which an explosive charge is ignited

3. See blow 1

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verb

1. (tr) to provide or equip with such a fuse

fuse Scientific  

/ fyo̅o̅z /

1. A safety device that protects an electric circuit from becoming overloaded. Fuses contain a length of thin wire (usually of a metal alloy) that melts and breaks the circuit if too much current flows through it. They were traditionally used to protect electronic equipment and prevent fires, but have largely been replaced by circuit breakers.

2. A cord of readily combustible material that is lighted at one end to carry a flame along its length to detonate an explosive at the other end.

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1. To melt something, such as metal or glass, by heating.

2. To blend two or more substances by melting.

fuse More Idioms  

1. see blow a fuse.

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Usage

What is a basic definition of fuse? Fuse means to unite or blend together. Fuse also refers to a protective device in an electrical current and to a tube or cord used to light explosives.Fuse is used in metalworking and similar industries to refer to combining metals by melting them down into liquids. In everyday use, fuse is used figuratively to mean to combine or unite anything as if they were melted together. For example, a band might fuse metal and electronic music to make a unique sound. Something that has been made by fusing things together is called a fusion.

• Real-life examples: Copper scraps can be fused together to make wires. Science fiction often fuses real science with fictional ideas. A mad scientist might fuse animals together to make monsters.
• Used in a sentence: The two kingdoms fused together to create a powerful nation. 

As a noun, fuse refers to a safety device designed to protect electrical equipment from melting or catching on fire. A fuse usually resembles a small rod or wire that is designed to melt from the heat of an electrical current that is moving too fast. Once the fuse melts, the electrical circuit is broken. This stops the current from moving and protects the more expensive or dangerous equipment from melting or catching on fire.Fuses are an extremely common safety device (alongside circuit breakers) and are usually kept in a fuse box located in a remote part of a house or building. The phrase blow a fuse comes from this sense of fuse.

• Real-life examples: Your house may have a fuse box that you can open to replace damaged fuses. Electronic devices such as televisions and computers almost always have fuses to prevent fires or explosions caused by electricity.
• Used in a sentence: The computer technician had to replace several blown fuses in the motherboard.  

The word fuse also refers to a cord, wire, rope, or similar object that is lit on fire in order to ignite an explosive. The purpose of a fuse is to delay an explosion.

• Real-life examples: Almost all fireworks have fuses to prevent them from exploding immediately, such as in a person’s hand. An explosive weapon such as a bomb might have a fuse so the user can run away before it explodes. Explosives used in manufacturing or mining, such as dynamite, may also have fuses for the same reason.
• Used in a sentence: She lit the fuse of the giant firecracker. 

Related Words

See melt ¹.

Other Word Forms

• fuseless adjective
• fuselike adjective

Etymology

Origin of fuse¹

First recorded in 1675–85 for the verb; from Latin fūsus “melted, poured, cast,” past participle of fundere

Origin of fuse¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from Italian fuso, from Latin fūsus “spindle” (i.e., a spindle-shaped tube filled with combustible matter)

Example Sentences

If you have to evacuate, you should disconnect all electrical appliances or turn off electric circuits at the fuse box or circuit breaker panel.

From Los Angeles Times

Here, Chalamet again fuses his personal drive into his performance, claiming that he spent seven years training to play ping pong like Reisman and unlike Tom Hanks in “Gump,” he’s doing his own stunts.

From Los Angeles Times

Though generally handsome and admirably executed, they often remain impenetrable, enigmatic objects—carriers saddled with ideas—rather than autonomous, living sculptures in which form and content inextricably fuse.

From The Wall Street Journal

This layer is also rich in platinum, iridium, metallic melt particles, shocked quartz, and fused minerals known as meltglass.

From Science Daily

At the time, a controlled fusion reaction produced more energy than it consumed by using lasers to create conditions that cause hydrogen atoms to fuse and release vast amounts of energy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blend
• coalesce
• combine
• dissolve
• integrate
• melt
• merge
• mingle
• weld