| English Dictionary |
DIFFUSE
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does diffuse mean?
• DIFFUSE (adjective)
The adjective DIFFUSE has 3 senses:
1. spread out; not concentrated in one place
2. (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected
3. lacking conciseness
Familiarity information: DIFFUSE used as an adjective is uncommon.
• DIFFUSE (verb)
The verb DIFFUSE has 3 senses:
1. move outward
2. spread or diffuse through
3. cause to become widely known
Familiarity information: DIFFUSE used as a verb is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Spread out; not concentrated in one place
Context example:
a large diffuse organization
Similar:
distributed (spread out or scattered about or divided up)
Derivation:
diffuseness (the spatial property of being spread out over a wide area or through a large volume)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected
Synonyms:
Sense 3
Meaning:
Lacking conciseness
Context example:
a diffuse historical novel
Similar:
prolix (tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length)
| Conjugation: |
Past simple: diffused
Past participle: diffused
-ing form: diffusing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Move outward
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
diffuse; fan out; spread; spread out
Context example:
The soldiers fanned out
Hypernyms (to "diffuse" is one way to...):
distribute; spread (distribute or disperse widely)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "diffuse"):
percolate (spread gradually)
creep (grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface))
mantle (spread over a surface, like a mantle)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
diffusion (the act of dispersing or diffusing something)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Spread or diffuse through
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
diffuse; imbue; interpenetrate; penetrate; permeate; pervade; riddle
Context example:
His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks
Hypernyms (to "diffuse" is one way to...):
penetrate; perforate (pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "diffuse"):
spiritise; spiritize (imbue with a spirit)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Derivation:
diffusion (the act of dispersing or diffusing something)
diffusive (spreading by diffusion)
diffusor (optical device that distributes the light of a lamp evenly)
diffusor (baffle that distributes sound waves evenly)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Cause to become widely known
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
broadcast; circularise; circularize; circulate; diffuse; disperse; disseminate; distribute; pass around; propagate; spread
Context example:
broadcast the news
Hypernyms (to "diffuse" is one way to...):
air; bare; publicise; publicize (make public)
Cause:
circulate; go around; spread (become widely known and passed on)
Verb group:
circulate; go around; spread (become widely known and passed on)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "diffuse"):
podcast (distribute (multimedia files) over the internet for playback on a mobile device or a personal computer)
sow (introduce into an environment)
generalise; generalize; popularise; popularize; vulgarise; vulgarize (cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use)
carry; run (include as the content; broadcast or publicize)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
diffusion (the act of dispersing or diffusing something)
diffusive (spreading by diffusion)
Context examples
A unit for measuring a pulmonary diffusing capacity expressed in units of gas flow rate (in milliliters per minute) per a unit of pressure (in torrs).
(Milliliter per Minute per Millimeters of Mercury, NCI Thesaurus)
A B-or T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma composed of a diffuse large cell lymphocytic infiltrate occurring in adults.
(Adult Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma, NCI Thesaurus)
A morphologic variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma occurring in adults.
(Adult Immunoblastic Lymphoma, NCI Thesaurus)
The neoplastic cells may form various patterns including the microfollicular, which is characterized by the presence of Call-Exner bodies, macrofollicular, insular, trabecular, and diffuse pattern.
(Adult Type Granulosa Cell Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)
A diffuse large cell lymphoma developing in an HIV positive patient.
(AIDS-Related Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma, NCI Thesaurus)
A morphologic variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma occurring in HIV-positive patients.
(AIDS Related Immunoblastic Lymphoma, NCI Thesaurus)
A unit for measuring a pulmonary diffusing capacity adjusted for lung volume expressed in units of gas flow rate (in milliliters per minute) per a unit of pressure (in torrs) per one liter.
(Milliliter per Minute per Millimeters of Mercury per Liter, NCI Thesaurus)
Representative examples include diffuse astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, and glioblastoma.
(Adult Astrocytic Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)
East of the center is a collection of slightly less reflective and more diffuse features called Vinalia Faculae.
(Bright Areas on Ceres Suggest Geologic Activity, NASA)
A rare morphologic variant of bladder adenocarcinoma characterized by the presence of malignant glandular epithelial cells and clear cells distributed in a tubulo-cystic, papillary, or diffuse pattern.
(Bladder Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)
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