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circuit breaker
[ sur-kit brey-ker ]
/ ˈsɜr kɪt ˌbreɪ kər /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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.
QUIZ
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.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
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
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.