closed circuit

Save This Word!

noun Electricity.

a circuit without interruption, providing a continuous path through which a current can flow.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare open circuit.

Origin of closed circuit

First recorded in 1820–30

OTHER WORDS FROM closed circuit

closed-circuit, adjective

Words nearby closed circuit

closed, closed book, closed caption, closed-captioned, closed chain, closed circuit, closed-circuit television, closed community, closed cornice, closed corporation, closed couplet

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

How to use closed circuit in a sentence

He closed his eyes, imagining the virgins, imagining away the pain in his head and groin.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Closed courthouses, rogue clerks, and misleading statements from the attorney general as Florida welcomes same-sex marriage.
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over|Jay Michaelson|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I wish I could be writing to you under better circumstances, but unfortunately those avenues have closed up.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The FCC investigation recently closed its comment period on the Marriott case.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security|Kyle Chayka|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Though the bar closed soon after, a movement had been sparked, and when it reopened in 1990, history was revived.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And now I can recall that his eyes closed, and from his lips I caught a sigh, and then he rolled to the floor.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
The next instant the door closed softly behind them, and she went out of his life as a wife forever.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
He looked up through half closed eyes to see the Reverend standing over him.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
And it might be a good idea for you to give your men a gentle hint to keep their mouths closed about this affair—all of it.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The exchanges had closed in previous years, but never for the reasons which now controlled them.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips

British Dictionary definitions for closed circuit

closed circuit

noun

a complete electrical circuit through which current can flow when a voltage is appliedCompare open circuit

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 closed circuit

closed circuit

An electric circuit through which current can flow in an uninterrupted path. Compare open circuit.

A television system in which the signal is usually sent by cable to a limited number of receivers.