electrocute

[ ih-lek-truh-kyoot ]

/ ɪˈlɛk trəˌkyut /

verb (used with object), e·lec·tro·cut·ed, e·lec·tro·cut·ing.

to kill by electricity.

to execute (a criminal) by electricity, as in an electric chair.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

electroconvulsive, electroconvulsive therapy, electrocorticogram, electrocorticography, electrocratic, electrocute, electrocution, electrocyte, electrode, electrode efficiency, electrode potential

Origin of electrocute

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; electro- + (exe)cute

Related formse·lec·tro·cu·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for electrocuted

His father, who worked in a box factory, was fixing a fan one day at home and got electrocuted.
Death Squads in Kenya’s Shadow War on Shabaab Sympathizers|Margot Kiser|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At Gabal Ahmar, the young inmates had been viciously beaten or electrocuted using Taser-style devices, according to Bilal.
Egypt's Child Abuse Scourge|Alastair Beach|February 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some perished as they tried to evacuate at the last minute; others were found days later, drowned or electrocuted in their homes.
‘It Was Like a War Zone’: Hurricane-Ravaged Staten Island Reels|Paula Szuchman|November 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Ahmad claims that four plainclothes officers cuffed him to a chair, jammed open his mouth, and electrocuted his gums.
Assad’s House of Torture|Anna Therese Day|October 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He was electrocuted and left with second- and third-degree burns and a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Recession's Infomercial Boom|Remy Stern|April 25, 2009|DAILY BEAST
If he had carried out his threats he would long since have been electrocuted and I would have lost a good friend.
One Way Out|William Carleton
He caught my arm rudely, but had scarcely touched it than I sprang up as if electrocuted, almost upsetting him.
The Secrets of a Kuttite|Edward O. Mousley
"I believe you would be cheerful if you were going to be electrocuted," she said, pensively.
The Pillar of Light|Louis Tracy
“Electrocuted,” said Cleek, answering that inquiring 171 glance.
Cleek of Scotland Yard|Thomas W. Hanshew
When the cutters attempted to ply their nippers they fell in their tracks, electrocuted.
The North Pacific|Willis Boyd Allen

British Dictionary definitions for electrocuted

electrocute

/ (ɪˈlɛktrəˌkjuːt) /

verb (tr)

to kill as a result of an electric shock

US to execute in the electric chair

Derived Formselectrocution, noun

Word Origin for electrocute

C19: from electro- + (exe)cute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for electrocuted

electrocute

"execute by electricity," 1889, American English, from electro- + back half of execute. The method first was used Aug. 6, 1890, in New York state, on William Kemmler, convicted of the murder of his common-law wife. Sense involving accidental death is first recorded 1909. Electric chair is also first recorded 1889, which is when the first one was introduced in New York state as a humane alternative to hanging. Related: Electrocuted; electrocuting.