short-circuit
- Electricity.
- to make (an appliance, switch, etc.) inoperable by establishing a short circuit in.
- to carry (a current) as a short circuit.
- to bypass, impede, hinder, or frustrate: Bad weather short-circuited my vacation plans.
- Electricity. to form a short circuit or become inoperable due to a short circuit.
Origin of short-circuit
short circuit
- an abnormal, usually unintentional condition of relatively low resistance between two points of different potential in a circuit, usually resulting in a flow of excess current.
Origin of short circuit
Related Words for short-circuit
duck, shuffle, sidestep, evade, elude, escape, ditch, skirt, trick, swerve, deceive, fence, pussyfoot, equivocate, lurch, parry, dark, slide, malinger, weaselExamples from the Web for short-circuit
Contemporary Examples of short-circuit
This sort of sustained engagement can short-circuit racially triggered instances of the confirmation bias, wrote Dobbin.
The post concluded, “Question: short memory or short-circuit?”
There are 45 million people who have still got to choose and I am not going to short-circuit that.
Historical Examples of short-circuit
The induced currents in the rod amounted to a short-circuit of the field.
InvasionWilliam Fitzgerald Jenkins
Direct contact with a Throg mind appears to short-circuit them.
Storm Over WarlockAndre Norton
And in an eon of lying they never have run up against a short-circuit like that.
Letter of the LawAlan Edward Nourse
He may short-circuit some of them by means of Colonel House.
Idling in ItalyJoseph Collins
We cannot bluff Providence, or short-circuit things to our liking.
The Wanderings of a SpiritualistArthur Conan Doyle
short circuit
- a faulty or accidental connection between two points of different potential in an electric circuit, bypassing the load and establishing a path of low resistance through which an excessive current can flow. It can cause damage to the components if the circuit is not protected by a fuse
- to develop or cause to develop a short circuit
- (tr) to bypass (a procedure, regulation, etc)
- (tr) to hinder or frustrate (plans, etc)
Word Origin and History for short-circuit
short circuit
short circuit
- An electrical path in a circuit that causes most of the current to flow around or away from some other path in the circuit. Accidental short circuits, especially between the high and low voltages of a power supply, can cause very strong current to flow, possibly damaging or overheating the circuit.
short circuit
An electrical circuit in which a path of very low resistance has been opened, usually accidentally. When the resistance drops, the electric current (see also current) in the circuit becomes very high and can cause damage to the circuit and start fires.