open circuit

American  

noun

Electricity.

1. a discontinuous circuit through which no current can flow.

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open circuit British  

noun

1. an incomplete electrical circuit in which no current flows Compare closed circuit

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open circuit Scientific  

/ ō′pən /

1. An electric circuit in which the normal path of current has been interrupted, either by the disconnection of one part of its conducting pathway from another, or by the intervention of an electric component, such as a transistor.

2. Compare closed circuit

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Other Word Forms

• open-circuit
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of open circuit

First recorded in 1820–30

Compare meaning

How does open-circuit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• open circuit vs. closed circuit

Example Sentences

The paper battery achieved an open circuit voltage of 1.8 volts, a 1.0 volt current density of 100 mA/cm², and a maximum output of 103 milliwatts/cm².

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2024

In some applications, the Russian version sends commands that open circuit breakers when they should be closed; in others, circuits are “de-energized” through a variety of means.

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2017

Although a capacitor is basically an open circuit, there is an rms current in a circuit with an AC voltage applied to a capacitor.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

MPP, maximum power point; OC, open circuit; SC, short circuit.

From Nature • Aug. 15, 2012

Were it conceivable that the current could be cut off and the wire put on open circuit while the lines still remained open or strained, the energy must still escape when the field disappears.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 711, August 17, 1889 by Various