electrocute
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
- electrocution noun
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.
Elliot jumped at the word letter like it had electrocuted him somehow, glancing left and right as though to make sure we were alone.
From Literature
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
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
The week before, his mate was electrocuted on nearby power lines operated by PG&E.
From Los Angeles Times
Pilcher was working last June when one of these recent recruits was electrocuted while working on high-voltage overhead lights, from a scissor lift, without gloves or other required safety equipment.
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.
