defuse
verb C1
Plain meaning
make a dangerous or tense situation calmer
Exam-register meaning
In academic or exam writing, this is used to discuss make a dangerous or tense situation calmer in a more precise way.
In context
naturalThe team tried to defuse tension before the deadline.
examThe passage suggests that institutions may need to defuse tension in order to improve long-term outcomes.
Common collocations
defuse tensiondefuse conflictdefuse a crisis
Watch out
Do not pair it with a random object. Learn the full pattern, e.g., “defuse tension”. Also avoid confusing it with “calm”.