circuit breaker

[ sur-kit brey-ker ]

/ ˈsɜr kɪt ˌbreɪ kər /

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See synonyms for circuit breaker on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called breaker .Electricity. a device for interrupting an electric circuit to prevent excessive current, as that caused by a short circuit, from damaging the apparatus in the circuit or from causing a fire.

Also called trading halt or trading curb .Stock Exchange. a temporary halt in trading automatically imposed when stock prices reach a predetermined level, as to check panic selling.

a lockdown or set of tight restrictions imposed for a fixed, usually short period to halt the spread of a highly transmissible infection (often used attributively): Circuit breakers only succeed if additional measures are taken, such as contact tracing and increased testing.

Australia, New Zealand. an activity serving to relieve or distract from stresses that might otherwise overwhelm: Sometimes a day out of the office is the best circuit breaker after a tense week.

any property-tax relief measure that reduces or limits property taxes for certain eligible taxpayers, as those with low income or the elderly.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of circuit breaker

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Words nearby circuit breaker

circs, circuit, circuit analyzer, circuit binding, circuit board, circuit breaker, circuit court, circuit court of appeals, circuit edges, circuit, electrical, circuiter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use circuit breaker in a sentence

On Thursday night, the cluster of coronavirus cases at a hotel quarantine site near the Melbourne airport grew to 13 and Andrews was forced to mandate a five-day lockdown, a “short, sharp circuit breaker” as he called it.
Novak Djokovic’s five-set battle at Australian Open started with fans and ended without them|Matt Bonesteel|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
At the very least, we need circuit breakers at the state and city level in the highest transmission states.
We Can't Afford to Wait for COVID-19 Vaccines To Be Rolled Out. Here’s What We Can Do to Curb the Virus Now|Gavin Yamey|January 13, 2021|Time
A circuit breaker with an off setting is no good at all if it doesn’t have an honest on as well.
Can a 2-Week 'Circuit Breaker' Lockdown Curb COVID-19? The U.K. May Be About to Find Out|Jeffrey Kluger|October 19, 2020|Time
She argues that this approach must change, and that circuit breakers offer the potential to do enormous good with little harm.
Facebook’s new tool to stop fake news is a game changer—if the company would only use it|Jeff|October 18, 2020|Fortune

The spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also cited a recent example—one involving an audio post suggesting right-wing activists run over protesters with cars—of the circuit breaker working.
Facebook’s new tool to stop fake news is a game changer—if the company would only use it|Jeff|October 18, 2020|Fortune
Some function of his brain acted as a psi-circuit breaker, shutting off awareness before his mind could be blasted.
Deathworld|Harry Harrison
A circuit-breaker may be set so as to open its connections in one or more seconds after a certain current begins to flow.
Electric Transmission of Water Power|Alton D. Adams
A circuit-breaker with its contacts under oil offers a much smaller opportunity than a fuse for the maintenance of an arc.
Electric Transmission of Water Power|Alton D. Adams
The accompanying cut shows the combination of battery B, the circuit-breaker, and the rod mounted upon the box.
The Telephone|A. E. Dolbear
With motors an automatic circuit breaker, disconnecting all wires of the circuit, may serve as both switch and cut-out.
Motion Picture Operation, Stage Electrics and Illusions|Henry C. Horstmann

British Dictionary definitions for circuit breaker

circuit breaker

noun

a device that under abnormal conditions, such as a short circuit, interrupts the flow of current in an electrical circuitSometimes shortened to: breaker Compare fuse 2 (def. 6)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for circuit breaker

circuit breaker

A switch that automatically interrupts the flow of electric current if the current exceeds a preset limit, measured in amperes. Circuit breakers are used most often as a safety precaution where excessive current through a circuit could be hazardous. Unlike fuses, they can usually be reset and reused.

circuit breaker

Origin of circuit breaker

Words nearby circuit breaker

Words related to circuit breaker

How to use circuit breaker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for circuit breaker

Scientific definitions for circuit breaker