electrocute
Americanverb (used with object)
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electrocutes,
present (3rd person singular)
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electrocuted,
past participle, past
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electrocuting
present participle
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to kill by electricity.
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to execute (a criminal) by electricity, as in an electric chair.
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to pass an electric current through; shock.
The toaster burned my toast and then electrocuted me when I tried to unplug it.
verb
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to kill as a result of an electric shock
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to execute in the electric chair
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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electrocutesimple
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electrocutessimple
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have electrocutedperfect
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has electrocutedperfect
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am electrocutingprogressive
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are electrocutingprogressive
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is electrocutingprogressive
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have been electrocutingperfect progressive
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has been electrocutingperfect progressive
Past
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electrocutedsimple
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had electrocutedperfect
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was electrocutingprogressive
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were electrocutingprogressive
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had been electrocutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of electrocute
An Americanism first recorded in 1885–90; electro- + (exe)cute
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.
See Examples For:
I just unboxed a panel and clambered onto my roof, praying I wouldn’t fall off or electrocute myself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Myers said he worries the high-voltage lines could spark wildfires or electrocute people operating farm machinery nearby.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025
“Because you may, as a result, electrocute people working in the area,” such as crews restoring downed power lines, he said.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024
It starts with a spark, created from an organ called a skein that previously lay dormant, that gives girls, and then women, the power to electrocute at will.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2023
Perhaps if I shifted my body about so that the two nodes would come together—No, not only was there no room but it might electrocute me.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Is Mr. Baker dating Ms. Fox, who electrocutes him in “Bloody Valentine,” the first video from his next album.
From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2020
Look at the way he makes sure his henchman sees the joy buzzer in his hand: He wants everyone to share in the fun, except for the people he electrocutes.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2019
The problem: Pikachu doesn’t want to be owned, or put in a Pokéball, and electrocutes anybody who tries.
From The Verge ● Sep. 8, 2018
So if an enemy is coming toward Isaac, and there's a javelin bolt through the ground, you can use the alt fire and create an area effect that electrocutes them as they approach.
From The Guardian ● May 20, 2010
In one review on Amazon Marketplace, a user claimed the device "fell apart in their hands" and they "could have been electrocuted" if this had happened during use.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Although some people have questioned why the fence is not electrocuted, Washington said that the department did not want it to be deadly.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
“A lot of people are like, ‘I’m going to get electrocuted?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
The father of a runner who died when he was electrocuted by a faulty power cable has said not enough is being done to prevent future fatalities.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
His foul breath jolted me awake as surely as if I’d been electrocuted by sluggers.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Three years before he demonstrated his creation, he had set up a laboratory in a bedroom in Hastings to experiment with mechanical television, but was evicted after electrocuting himself.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
He demonstrated this by electrocuting dead frog legs and watching them twitch.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2022
Flea has the physique of a 20-something gym bro and a face that belongs on a coin, and he still plays his bass like he’s electrocuting himself with his own greatness.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2022
Electricity has been suspended for hours or days to prevent exposed wires from coming into contact with water in the streets and electrocuting people.
From New York Times ● Jul. 24, 2022
“I rule that out. We are not electrocuting two million dollars worth of robots to locate Nestor 10. There are other ways.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
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.
