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.
These thread like growths, known as filaments, would keep extending until they created a short circuit and destroyed the pixel.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2026
They campaign for a short "circuit breaker" lockdown to try to drive down infections.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
The fire may have been caused by a short circuit, he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 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
And in College Station, Texas, Miami intercepted Texas A&M passer Marcel Reed with less than a minute remaining, to short-circuit what looked like a game-tying touchdown drive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
In recent years, those officials noted, both Democratic and Republican administrations have tried at times to short-circuit competition for big cases among law enforcement agencies and judicial districts.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2025
But First Choice does not want to wait; it seeks to short-circuit the New Jersey judiciary and win a get-out-of-subpoena-free card from the federal courts immediately.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2025
Sure enough, Bush interpreted Lawrence’s visit as an attempt to short-circuit his own prerogatives of command.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
The sales process likely short-circuits an alternative WBD plan next year to spin off its old-style TV assets, hoping to make its remaining assets more attractive to potential buyers like Apple, Amazon and Netflix.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
This can be triggered by events from short-circuits to physical damage and manufacturing defects, and which allows heat-producing chemical reactions to start within the battery.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
Beyond that, the decision short-circuits the careful development of the law of PLCAA.
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2025
This effectively short-circuits brain electrical activity and compromises function.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2024
Then the writer short-circuits the reader's interest by a paragraph of generalities which call attention to his desire for profits— things in which the prospect is not interested.
From Business Correspondence by Anonymous
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
His absence figured to make it hard for the Lakers to incorporate the slew of fresh faces they’d brought in to address the defensive deficiencies that had short-circuited their playoff run a season ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 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
Aurum and Argentum turned in circles, as if their mechanical brains had short-circuited.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
When those directives collide, the result isn’t growth but short-circuiting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 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
I fell to plotting ways of short-circuiting the machine.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
