Meaning & use
fusion
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The process of combining two or more different things so that they become a single new whole.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a fusion of styles.
Patterns
- a fusion of something and something
- fusion between things
The building is a fusion of ancient and modern design.
The band's sound is a fusion of folk and electronic music.
Language change often comes from the fusion of two dialects.
noununcountable
Cooking or music that deliberately mixes traditions from different regions or genres.
Grammar: Often before another noun: fusion cuisine, fusion jazz.
We tried a Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant downtown.
She plays jazz fusion on the saxophone.
noununcountablephysicstechnical
The merging of atomic nuclei into a heavier one, which releases a very large amount of energy.
Grammar: Often nuclear fusion; the opposite is fission.
Patterns
- nuclear fusion
The sun shines because of nuclear fusion in its core.
Scientists are still trying to harness fusion for clean power.
noununcountabletechnicalphysics
The melting of a solid into a liquid by heat.
Grammar: Technical, as in the heat of fusion.
The fusion of ice takes place at zero degrees Celsius.
Chemists measure the heat needed for the fusion of different metals.
Word forms
| plural | fusions |
|---|
Common combinations
- nuclear fusion
- Nuclear fusion could one day supply cheap energy.
- fusion cuisine
- The chef is known for her fusion cuisine.
- a fusion of
- The festival is a fusion of music, art and food.
- jazz fusion
- He grew up listening to jazz fusion.
- cultural fusion
- The city is a place of constant cultural fusion.
Synonyms and how they differ
- blend
- Blend suggests parts mixed so smoothly that you may not see the join, while fusion implies they have become one thing.
- merger
- Merger is used for organizations and companies, not for styles or flavors.
- union
- Union suggests joining but often keeps the members distinct, whereas fusion loses the original boundaries.
- combination
- Combination is the plainest term and does not imply the parts have melted together.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fusion or fission?
fusion vs fission
Fission means splitting an atom apart, the opposite of fusion, which joins atoms together.
Practice
In physics, what does nuclear fusion do?
Choose one answer.
Fusion merges light nuclei and releases energy; splitting a heavy atom is fission, the tempting wrong option.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fusion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.