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direct current
noun
- Electricity. an electric current of constant direction, having a magnitude that does not vary or varies only slightly. : dc
direct current
noun
- a continuous electric current that flows in one direction only, without substantial variation in magnitude DC Compare alternating current
direct current
/ dĭ-rĕkt′ /
- An electric current that moves in one direction with constant strength. Batteries are a source of direct current. Direct current is not used for long-distance power transmission because it is difficult to step up the voltage to a level that is efficient for energy transfer and then to step the voltage back down again for safe domestic use.
- Compare alternating currentSee Notes at current
direct current
- The electric current (see also current ) in which the electrons flow in one direction only. ( Compare alternating current (AC) .)
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Notes
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Other Words From
- di·rect-current adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of direct current1
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Compare Meanings
How does direct current compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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Example Sentences
Among them, in the early 1960s, was the development of a defibrillator that used direct current to reestablish a normal heartbeat when an arrhythmia occurs.
This arrangement can be used with direct-current circuits only.
Now of all machines perhaps the most docile and easily managed is the direct-current electric motor.
Direct-current impulses sent out by the dispatcher operate these magnets, one of which is slow and the other quick-acting.
The positive electrode in the direct-current arc is consumed approximately twice as fast as the negative electrode.
The alternating-current arc is much noisier than the direct-current arc, but with very high frequencies this noise ceases.
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