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.
-
to execute (a criminal) by electricity, as in an electric chair.
-
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
Glued to a screen, Kessler reacted to the words, “Your new Miss America is ... Alabama!” as if he’d been electrocuted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
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.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
Taylor Swift got electrocuted Frankenstein-style in her “Fortnight” music video.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025
We were all laughing and talking at once, and then Laura—typical of her—got up on her seat and did a hysterical impersonation of someone reaching out and getting electrocuted.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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
Abrams noted that Kubrick was inspired in part by Stanley Milgram, whose famous experiments based on the Holocaust determined whether people could be manipulated into electrocuting people to death through blind obedience to authority.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2024
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
Whereas a previous trailer for the movie featured jokes about electrocuting butts and how Mr. Mime is, well, a mime, the latest promotional video is 100% snark-free.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2019
“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
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