electrify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to charge with or subject to electricity; apply electricity to.
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to supply (a region, community, etc.) with electric power.
The valley wasn't electrified until 1936.
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to equip for the use of electric power, as a railroad.
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to excite greatly; thrill.
to electrify an audience.
verb
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to adapt or equip (a system, device, etc) for operation by electrical power
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to charge with or subject to electricity
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to startle or excite intensely; shock or thrill
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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electrificationnoun
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electrifiernoun
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nonelectrificationnoun
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reelectrificationnoun
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reelectrifyverb (used with object)
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electrifiableadjective
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nonelectrifiedadjective
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proelectrificationadjective
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unelectrifiedadjective
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unelectrifyingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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electrifysimple
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electrifiessimple
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have electrifiedperfect
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has electrifiedperfect
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am electrifyingprogressive
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are electrifyingprogressive
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is electrifyingprogressive
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have been electrifyingperfect progressive
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has been electrifyingperfect progressive
Past
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electrifiedsimple
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had electrifiedperfect
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was electrifyingprogressive
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were electrifyingprogressive
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had been electrifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of electrify
Explanation
Electrify means to make something electric — either literally or figuratively. You can electrify a house by wiring it so the occupants will have lights, or you can electrify a boring party by getting everyone laughing. A captivating person might electrify every room she enters. Maybe it’s her laugh, maybe it’s the way she talks with her hands, maybe it’s the zany scarves she wears. Something about her gets everyone going. In a related sense, electrify can also describe what the electrician does to a house — she wires it so that the lights, computers, and television can all be plugged in and operate properly.
Vocabulary lists containing electrify
"The Civil Rights Movement"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 2–October 8, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And to fully electrify the site will require around six million euros in investment for a company with a turnover of about 40 million euros -- which means taking on debt.
From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026
“There are hundreds of millions of smaller-than-car vehicles today that will, almost without debate, electrify over the next decade,” Yu said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
“From an economic point of view, for every EU country, the best possible decision is get rid of fossil fuels, electrify, buy more heat pumps, buy more renewables,” Oliveira da Silva said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
Layers of silent tension electrify the air throughout these early hours.
From Salon • Jan. 8, 2026
When news came that the boy’s village was to be flooded to make a mighty lake and dam to electrify Ghana, it seemed like a crazy rumor, but it would not go away.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
