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• electric current
  electric current

  noun

  the time rate of flow of electric charge, in the direction that a positive moving charge would take and having magnitude equal to the quantity of charge per unit time: measured in amperes.
• current, electric
  current, electric

  The flow of electrical charge, usually electrons. (See Benjamin Franklin.)

electric current

American  

noun

Electricity.

1. the time rate of flow of electric charge, in the direction that a positive moving charge would take and having magnitude equal to the quantity of charge per unit time: measured in amperes.

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electric current British  

noun

1. another name for current

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current, electric ¹ Cultural  

1. The flow of electrical charge, usually electrons. (See Benjamin Franklin.)

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current, electric ² Cultural  

1. The flow of large numbers of electrons through a conductor. (See alternating current, conduction, and direct current.)

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Etymology

Origin of electric current

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Smelters dissolve refined bauxite, or alumina, in a solution and jolt it with an electric current to chemically separate the aluminum from oxygen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

It occurs when an electric current flows through a material while a magnetic field is applied at a right angle.

From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026

"Today, the kilogram is defined on the basis of fundamental constants using an electromechanical device that compares electric current to mass," St-Jean explained.

From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026

If it’s any smaller than that, the electric current flowing through the chip just won’t stay in its lanes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

We walked on in edgy silence, tension humming through us like an electric current.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs