direct current

noun

Definition of direct current

: an electric current flowing in one direction only and substantially constant in value —abbreviation DC

Examples of direct current in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The night before the event, the organizers realized that the hotel's electric supply was direct current and the ranges required alternating current. — Judy Buchenot, Naperville Sun, "Suburban Cooks: Mints go from trash to treasured cookies," 13 July 2018 In the experiment, 39 volunteers were given direct current stimulation to their prefrontal cortex for 20 minutes. — Amy Ellis Nutt, Washington Post, "Zapping the brain appears to decrease aggressive intentions, new study says," 2 July 2018 Other nations are embracing advanced direct current transmission. — Charles Bayless And, WSJ, "Upgrade America’s 19th-Century Electric Grid," 4 June 2018 Pacific Gas and Electric will build 230 direct current fast-charging stations, for a total of nearly $22.5 million. — Washington Post, "California to spend $768M on electric vehicle infrastructure," 2 June 2018 According to the San Francisco Chronicle, PG&E will spend more than $22 million on installing 230 direct current fast-charging stations in the state. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "In California, utilities will spend $768 million on electric car infrastructure," 2 June 2018 Pacific Gas & Electric will build 230 direct current fast-charging stations, for a total of nearly $22.5 million. — Christopher Weber, The Christian Science Monitor, "California to spend $768 million toward cleaning up carbon emission," 1 June 2018 Technology for power transmission advanced in the 1970s, allowing direct current to return as a viable option—and for lines more than 300 to 500 miles long, DC outcompetes AC. — Annie Sneed, Scientific American, "A Comeback for Electricity Tech Once Championed by Thomas Edison," 1 June 2017 The device is subject to high internal temperatures that can damage transistors that convert lower-voltage direct current from the battery to higher-voltage alternating current for the motor. — Ralph Vartabedian, latimes.com, "Electrical defects cause Priuses to stall; Toyota may be bracing for a legal fight as safety worries grow," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'direct current.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.