MEANING
1. To spread out or distribute over an area, or to cause something to spread in that way.
2. Spread over a broad area or throughout a material rather than concentrated in one place.
3. Using more words or covering more ground than a clear, focused expression requires.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- diffuse through the air
- diffuse light
On the page
The scent diffused through the corridor after the door opened.
A fabric screen diffused the light across the table.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- diffuse
- Past tense
- diffused
- Past participle
- diffused
- Present participle
- diffusing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- diffuse
- Present continuous
- am/is/are diffusing
- Present perfect
- have/has diffused
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been diffusing
- Past
- diffused
- Past continuous
- was/were diffusing
- Past perfect
- had diffused
- Past perfect continuous
- had been diffusing
- Future
- will diffuse
- Future continuous
- will be diffusing
- Future perfect
- will have diffused
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been diffusing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: diffuse; diffuses; diffused; diffused; diffusing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: diffuses.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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