closed circuit

American  

noun

Electricity.

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

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closed circuit British  

noun

1. a complete electrical circuit through which current can flow when a voltage is applied Compare open circuit

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closed circuit Scientific  

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

2. Compare open circuit

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

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Other Word Forms

• closed-circuit adjective

Etymology

Origin of closed circuit

First recorded in 1820–30

Compare meaning

How does closed-circuit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• open circuit vs. closed circuit

Example Sentences

I’m in a little bit of a closed circuit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

Arum, who had done this for years and thought even a $10 closed-circuit ticket would be a stretch, remembers laughing and saying “nobody would ever pay $25 for a closed circuit telecast.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025

That is, the electricity that drives electromagnetism has no resistance, and constantly runs in a closed circuit without the supply of electricity.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2024

Chernichuk said that water cooling the facility's spent nuclear fuel storage pools was on a closed circuit and had no direct contact with water coming from the Kakhovka Reservoir.

From Reuters • Jun. 6, 2023

Unable to surmount these obstacles, most will eventually return to prison and then be released again, caught in a closed circuit of perpetual marginality.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander