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.
to develop or cause to develop a short circuit
(tr) to bypass (a procedure, regulation, etc)
(tr) to hinder or frustrate (plans, etc)
First recorded in 1875–80
First recorded in 1870–75
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Adams pointed to social media platforms like X as evidence that machines “can easily short circuit our sense of human accountability and responsibility.”
From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2026
Nets have been placed over certain streets; in previous years metal kite strings have fallen on to electricity wires giving an electric shock to anyone holding them - and causing the wires to short circuit.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2026
Local broadcaster NDTV, citing unnamed police officials, said that a short circuit may have sparked the fire.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
I could still hear the words, feel the numbness settle in, like a short circuit in my brain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2025
Something had gone wrong in the electrical system of the command module, resulting in a short circuit.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
Kalshi dismissed the charges as "seriously flawed" and "gamesmanship," saying Arizona was attempting to short-circuit its own lawsuit against the state, filed on March 12.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
If Seth wanted a fast decision—to short-circuit the deliberative process through which the company made most decisions—we wanted to hear the cast read the script.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
It's an album of intimate, gauzy pop, almost entirely drumless and built around hypnotic musical loops that short-circuit your emotions.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
He lies so relentlessly that even his detractors become mentally fatigued as the brain’s basic truth-tracking mechanisms begin to short-circuit.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2025
Cooper reminded Shepard that his body was covered with sensors and electrical wires; he’d short-circuit the system.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Eventually, they reach the bottom electrode, creating a permanent connection that short-circuits the device and leaves it stuck in the on state.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 7, 2026
Her faith is no facade, and it short-circuits the sort of subtextual psychological approach we might expect in a more typical bio-drama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
Beyond that, the decision short-circuits the careful development of the law of PLCAA.
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2025
Some scooters began catching fire which, auto experts say, was likely due to short-circuits or faulty battery management system.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2025
This short-circuits the cell, of course, and new plates must be installed, and the jars washed out thoroughly.
From The Automobile Storage Battery Its Care And Repair by Witte, Otto A.
That process normally requires an investigation, but can be short-circuited where there are serious harms, risks to children, and histories of non-compliance.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
But I was like this person who was short-circuited and I didn’t know how to fix myself.”
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026
But on the Italians’ opening night, the torrents of rain short-circuited TV monitors and panelists struggled to give their presentations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
"Maybe it's the failure of Oslo that gave rise to the rather unconventional approach that Trump has taken, where he has short-circuited any sort of process and simply pressured and cajoled," Yacoubian said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
We got a blink for the first time since the STM short-circuited.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Apple shares had their worst day in more than a year Thursday after it announced big price increases, short-circuiting a tech rally sparked by memory maker Micron’s solid results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
She’s the film’s sole draw, but Thatcher's expertise can’t save it from short-circuiting in the end.
From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2025
Marsha Hunt appeared in more than 50 films before being accused of communist sympathies, short-circuiting her career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
By short-circuiting this process SAP05 provides a new way of carrying out the essential task of protein degradation which serves its own parasitic purpose and is completely independent of ubiquitin.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2023
The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, some of them smashing against the pool’s concrete wall with such force they burst.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
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.
