current

American  

[kur-uhnt, kuhr-] / ˈkɜr ənt, ˈkʌr- /

adjective

1. passing in time; belonging to the time actually passing.

   the current month.

2. prevalent; customary.

   the current practice.

   Synonyms:

   rife, popular, widespread, common

   Antonyms:

   obsolete

3. popular; in vogue.

   current fashions.

   Synonyms:

   modish, fashionable, stylish

   Antonyms:

   outmoded, old-fashioned

4. new; present; most recent.

   the current issue of a publication.

5. publicly reported or known.

   a rumor that is current.

6. passing from one to another; circulating, as a coin.

7. Archaic. running; flowing.

8. Obsolete. genuine; authentic.

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noun

1. a flowing; flow, as of a river.

2. something that flows, as a stream.

3. a large portion of air, large body of water, etc., moving in a certain direction.

4. the speed at which such flow moves; velocity of flow.

5. Electricity. electric current.

6. a course, as of time or events; the main course; the general tendency.

current British  

/ ˈkʌrənt /

adjective

1. of the immediate present; in progress

   current events

2. most recent; up-to-date

3. commonly known, practised, or accepted; widespread

   a current rumour

4. circulating and valid at present

   current coins

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noun

1. (esp of water or air) a steady usually natural flow

2. a mass of air, body of water, etc, that has a steady flow in a particular direction

3. the rate of flow of such a mass

4. Also called: electric current.  physics

   1. a flow of electric charge through a conductor

   2.  I.  the rate of flow of this charge. It is measured in amperes

5. a general trend or drift

   currents of opinion

current Scientific  

/ kûr′ənt /

1. A flowing movement in a liquid, gas, plasma, or other form of matter, especially one that follows a recognizable course.

2. A flow of positive electric charge. The strength of current flow in any medium is related to voltage differences in that medium, as well as the electrical properties of the medium, and is measured in amperes. Since electrons are stipulated to have a negative charge, current in an electrical circuit actually flows in the opposite direction of the movement of electrons.

3. See also electromagnetism Ohm's law See Note at electric charge

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Usage

What are other ways to say current? Something that is current is customary or in vogue. How is current different from the adjectives prevailing and prevalent? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Closer Look

Electric current is the phenomenon most often experienced in the form of electricity. Any time an object with a net electric charge is in motion, such as an electron in a wire or a positively charged ion jetting into the atmosphere from a solar flare, there is an electric current; the total current moving through some cross-sectional area in a given direction is simply the amount of positive charge moving through that cross-section. Current is sometimes confused with electric potential or voltage, but a voltage difference between two points (such as the two terminals of a battery) means only that current can potentially flow between them; how much does in fact flow depends on the resistance of the material between the two points. Electrical signals transmitted through a wire generally propagate at nearly the speed of light, but the current in the wire actually moves very slowly: pushing electrons into one end of the wire is rather like pushing a marble into one end of a tube filled with marbles—a marble (or electron) gets pushed out the other end almost instantly, even though the marbles (or electrons) inside move only incrementally.

Other Word Forms

• currently adverb
• currentness noun
• noncurrent adjective
• noncurrently adverb
• precurrent adjective
• uncurrent adjective
• uncurrently adverb

Etymology

Origin of current

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin current-, stem of currēns “running,” present participle of currere; replacing Middle English curraunt, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above; -ent ( def. )

Example Sentences

Although the status of Rourke’s current financials is not known, he has previously admitted to running into money troubles when his career took a nosedive—resulting in what he described as the loss of “everything.”

From MarketWatch

But gross margins for the model are much lower, at around 32%, than the company’s current margins at more than 60%, RBC says.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Department of Health has previously said they accept the findings of earlier expert reports, that gynaecology waiting times are unacceptable and they are included in the current review of hospital waiting lists.

From BBC

The Jersey Early Years Association said the government needed to copy this scheme as the new programme was "not viable in its current form".

From BBC

It raises the prospect that Panesar succeeded in affecting the Australians more than the current England team.

From BBC

Related Words

• modern
• ongoing
• present
• prevailing