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Entry 7 senses · 4 variants Webster, 1913

Fuse

/(fūz)/ · IPA /fjuːz/
01 v. t. To liquefy by heat; to render fluid; to dissolve; to melt.
imp. & p. p. Fused; p. pr. & vb. n. Fusing
  1. 1.
    To liquefy by heat; to render fluid; to dissolve; to melt.
  2. 2.
    To unite or blend, as if melted together.
    “Whose fancy fuses old and new.” — Tennyson.
02 v. i. To be reduced from a solid to a fluid state by heat; to be melted; to melt.
  1. 1.
    To be reduced from a solid to a fluid state by heat; to be melted; to melt.
  2. 2.
    To be blended, as if melted together.
Phrases & compounds
Fusing point — the degree of temperature at which a substance melts; the point of fusion; the melting point.
03 n. A tube or casing filled with combustible matter, by means of which a charge of powder is ignited, as in blasting; -- called also fuzee. See Fuze.
  1. 1.
    A tube or casing filled with combustible matter, by means of which a charge of powder is ignited, as in blasting; -- called also fuzee. See Fuze.(Gunnery, Mining, etc.) Also: fuzee See: Fuze
  2. 2.
    a mechanism in a bomb, torpedo, rocket, or artillery shell, usually having an easily detonated explosive charge and activated by the shock of impact, which detonates the main explosive charge. Some fuses may have timing mechanisms, delaying the explosion for a short time, or up to several days after impact. Fuses activated by other mechanisms more sophisticated than impact, such as proximity or heat, are used in modern weapons such as antiaircraft or antimissile missiles.(Mil.)
Phrases & compounds
Fuse hole — the hole in a shell prepared for the reception of the fuse.
04 n. A wire, bar, or strip of fusible metal inserted for safety in an electric circuit. When the current increases beyond a certain safe streng…
  1. 1.
    A wire, bar, or strip of fusible metal inserted for safety in an electric circuit. When the current increases beyond a certain safe strength, the metal melts, interrupting the circuit and thereby preventing possibility of damage. It serves the same function as a circuit breaker.(Elec.)