The announcement appeared to ____ tension caused by his resignation.
Poll Stats
This Poll:
- Votes: 418
- Comments: 10
- Added: August 2004
Comments:
I think the right answer is: defuse"
As Mr Trilby says, you defuse a bomb and you diffuse tension.
"We have a problem, Houston." (LOL)
According to Merriam Webster defuse is the right word.
caused by his resignation suggests that the tension became widespread as a result of his resignation. diffuse: scatter or spread through.
In Dutch there is an expression:
'to take the fuse from the gunbarrel.' It is commonly used in the figurative sense. Given the interaction between the two languages, it is clearly 'defuse'.
Yes, diffusing is spreading out - you diffuse light to break it into colored bands ...
Diffuse is the should be. it spreads.
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MrTrilby
One defuses a bomb.