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• electric current
  electric current

  noun

  the time rate of flow of electric charge, in the direction that a positive moving charge would take and having magnitude equal to the quantity of charge per unit time: measured in amperes.
• current, electric
  current, electric

  The flow of electrical charge, usually electrons. (See Benjamin Franklin.)

electric current

American  

noun

Electricity.

1. the time rate of flow of electric charge, in the direction that a positive moving charge would take and having magnitude equal to the quantity of charge per unit time: measured in amperes.

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electric current British  

noun

1. another name for current

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current, electric ¹ Cultural  

1. The flow of electrical charge, usually electrons. (See Benjamin Franklin.)

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current, electric ² Cultural  

1. The flow of large numbers of electrons through a conductor. (See alternating current, conduction, and direct current.)

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Etymology

Origin of electric current

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

electric current current, electric

Imagine a thin rectangular strip of metal carrying an electric current.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

Smelters dissolve refined bauxite, or alumina, in a solution and jolt it with an electric current to chemically separate the aluminum from oxygen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

Does the electric current flip the spins directly, or does heat generated by the current cause the change?

From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2026

What made that possible was a “pickup,” essentially a magnet mounted under the strings that turned vibrations into an electric current that connects to an amplifier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

We walked on in edgy silence, tension humming through us like an electric current.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

They can operate at very high power, use propellant efficiently, and produce more thrust than current electric propulsion systems.

From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026

Ford this week is also idling its Dearborn, Mich., plant that produces its current electric pickup, the F-150 Lightning, because of the aluminum issue, Reuters reported last week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025

Will it meet or beat your current electric bill?

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2024

That’s a nearly tenfold increase over current electric vehicle sales.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 17, 2023

Electric Motor.—The direct current electric motor depends for its action on the principle that likes repel, and unlikes attract.

From Practical Mechanics for Boys by Zerbe, James Slough