FUSE, or FUZE, in Artillery, a small tube filled with a combustible composition, used for firing shells. This tube is cut to a length proportioned to the intended range of the shell, so that it may explode at the instant the shell touches the ground. The composition consists of nitre, sulphur, and mealed powder. A 13-inch fuze burns forty seconds. Naval service fuzes are made of gun-metal, calculated for certain ranges.