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.

---

electric current British  

noun

1. another name for current

---

current, electric ¹ Cultural  

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

---

current, electric ² Cultural  

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

---

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

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

The self-trained engineer Philo Farnsworth built the first all-electronic TV system in 1927 using his “image dissector,” which converted the picture into electric current.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Researchers at Penn State have developed a new way to identify materials known as superconductors -- substances that can carry electric current with zero resistance, meaning no energy is wasted during transmission.

From Science Daily • Oct. 31, 2025

I even touch your nose with mine to recapture the electric current that used to flush through my blood whenever I did so.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela