static electricity

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noun Electricity.

a stationary electric charge built up on an insulating material.

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Compare electrostatics.

Origin of static electricity

First recorded in 1875–80

Words nearby static electricity

static, static character, static cling, static dump, statice, static electricity, static friction, staticky, static line, static memory, static pressure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use static electricity in a sentence

He has figured out a way to turn static electricity into an inexhaustible source of clean energy.
I Have Come to Bury Ayn Rand - Issue 98: Mind|David Sloan Wilson|March 24, 2021|Nautilus
When the opposing charges switch places, static electricity is released and gives birth to the flash of blue seen above the clouds.
Rare ‘blue jet’ lightning spotted and photographed from space|Erin Fennessy|January 26, 2021|Popular-Science
The billionaire philanthropist tastes the product of a machine that processes human sewage into drinking water and electricity.
Bill Gates Drinks Sewer Water|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The carpeting is worn, the furniture is falling apart, and the electricity is out for most of the day.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Some of Stone's neighbors, who live between Dotts and 4th Streets in Pennsburg, said their electricity and water had been cut off.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree|M.L. Nestel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Increasingly, as these industries develop, on-site solar and wind is a way of guaranteeing a lower price for electricity.
Solar Powered Ski Lift|The Daily Beast|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That year, landfill gas accounted for 9,800 gigawatts of electricity generation, up more than 90 percent from 2003.
Garbage In, Power Out|The Daily Beast|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“There is no static to-night,” said Mr. Brandon, who overheard the enthusiastic girl.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
While it lasted flashes of lightning frequently played around the mast-top, occasioned by electricity.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
In doing this work the electricity may, and often is, utterly dissipated—that is, changed into heat.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
You must be careful or your battery'll run out of electricity; that would mean your being hung up for two days.
The Everlasting Arms|Joseph Hocking
Yet we are told that heat, motion, electricity and chemical affinity are the causes of mental and moral action.
Gospel Philosophy|J. H. Ward

Scientific definitions for static electricity

static electricity

Electric charge that has accumulated on an object. Static electricity is often created when two objects that are not good electrical conductors are rubbed together, and electrons from one of the objects rub off onto the other. This happens, for example, when combing one's hair or taking off a sweater. Sudden releases of built-up static electricity can take the form of an electric arc. See Note at electric charge.

Cultural definitions for static electricity

static electricity

An electrical charge that accumulates on an object when it is rubbed against another object — for example, the spark that jumps from someone's hand to a doorknob after the person has walked across a rug.