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

As the pair were climbing back into the Lunar Module to prepare to fly home to Earth, Aldrin hit the module’s circuit breaker switch with the life support backpack on his spacesuit. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 16 July 2026

The band’s members were among the first to spy a spark from a circuit breaker that may have set off the blaze that roared across the ceiling, which experts suspect was covered with highly combustible material. — Tian MacLeod Ji, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

According to the prime minister, a musician performing at the pub witnessed smoke coming from a circuit breaker near the stage before the fire. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 12 July 2026

Think of these like the ultra-sensitive circuit breakers in your home. — Jasmine Garland, The Conversation, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for circuit breaker

• automaker
• boilermaker
• cabinetmaker
• coffeemaker
• troublemaker
• undertaker
• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker

Kids Definition

circuit breaker

noun

: a switch that automatically stops the flow of electric current in an overloaded circuit