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
Local broadcaster NDTV, citing unnamed police officials, said that a short circuit may have sparked the fire.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
“Now they want to short circuit the whole process,” McGoldrick added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2025
Reflecting on his use of the internet, Burton said: "I get depressed very quickly, maybe more quickly than other people. But it doesn't take me much to start to click and start to short circuit."
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2024
My mind flickered as if on short circuit, spitting never-ending images of anguish, anxiety, and sorrow at me.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
So a lot of people think bubbles are an ideological thing, instead of a material thing with reasons and motives that are totally rational — and that we can short-circuit.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
There will still be opportunities for regular people to short-circuit these attempted abuses.
From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2026
The submarine vanished on November 15, 2017 after reporting that seawater had entered the ventilation system, causing a battery on the vessel to short-circuit and start a fire.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 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
And maybe with Tamika’s help, I wouldn’t short-circuit everything.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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
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
A new technique proposed by Penn State scientists may help prevent "short-circuits" that can cause geothermal power plants to halt production, potentially improving the efficiency of geothermal power, the researchers said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2023
This short-circuits the resistance coil connected across the regulator points and allows the shunt field current to increase again, thereby increasing the generator output.
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
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
At the end of the party, the lights mysteriously short-circuited.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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
Don’t put it in a freezer – this might stop your device from short-circuiting but the problem will be back once you try to thaw it.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
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
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.
