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circuit breaker
noun
: a switch that automatically interrupts the current of an overloaded electric circuit
Examples of circuit breaker in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Schneider manufactures circuit breakers and other electrical supplies, mostly for homes and apartments.
—Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
The progressive thinktank Policy Matters Ohio has pitched what's called a circuit breaker, which would extend state aid to homeowners and renters who use an outsized share of their income on property taxes.
—Haley Bemiller, The Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2024
Schneider sends about 75 percent to 80 percent of its production in Mexico to the United States, including an array of products like circuit breakers and panels used to distribute and regulate electrical power.
—Simon Romero, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024
But circuit breakers can protect people whose home values have surged even if their incomes haven’t.
—Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024
That will require something extra: an HVDC circuit breaker capable of nearly instantaneous operation at 525 kV.
Cutting off AC power is more straightforward because its voltage zeroes out every time the current reverses direction.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Dec. 2023
Homendy said that after the aircraft returned to Portland International Airport, no one pulled the circuit breaker on the cockpit voice recorder or otherwise preserved the audio, which holds only its most recent two hours.
—Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2024
In such cases, someone would have to remove a circuit breaker on the plane to prevent the device from starting over again.
—Mark Walker, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024
Sheriff’s spokesman Henry Wofford said the victim had gone out to check a circuit breaker after the power went out in his residence.
—Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'circuit breaker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1872, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near circuit breaker
Cite this Entry
“Circuit breaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circuit%20breaker. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Kids Definition
circuit breaker
noun
: a switch that automatically stops the flow of electric current in an overloaded circuit
More from Merriam-Webster on circuit breaker
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about circuit breaker
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