alternating current
noun
: an electric current that reverses its direction at regularly recurring intervals
—abbreviation AC
Examples of alternating current in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Benjamin Franklin proved lightning was electricity in 1752, Alessandro Volta invented the first battery in 1799, and Nikola Tesla developed alternating current in the late 1880s.
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Michael C. Horowitz, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2025
This allows the battery to manage energy more efficiently and enables alternating current output without separate hardware.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
Electricity comes in two basic flavors, direct current where the electrons simply flow through the conductors and alternating current where the polarity is constantly changing.
—Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The chair used 1,300 volts of alternating current, developed by Nikola Tesla; Thomas Edison promoted the execution to associate AC with death and thus boost his own direct current system.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alternating current
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Michael C. Horowitz, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2025
This allows the battery to manage energy more efficiently and enables alternating current output without separate hardware.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
Electricity comes in two basic flavors, direct current where the electrons simply flow through the conductors and alternating current where the polarity is constantly changing.
—Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The chair used 1,300 volts of alternating current, developed by Nikola Tesla; Thomas Edison promoted the execution to associate AC with death and thus boost his own direct current system.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alternating current
Cite this Entry
“Alternating current.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alternating%20current. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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