electric

adjective elec·tric \ i-ˈlek-trik , ē- \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Examples: electric in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of electric

1 or electrical play \i-ˈlek-tri-kəl, ē-\ : of, relating to, or operated by electricity

an electric current

an electric heater

2 : exciting as if by electric shock

an electric performance

an electric personality

; also : charged with strong emotion

the room was electric with tension

3 a : electronic 3a

b : amplifying sound by electronic means —used of a musical instrument

an electric guitar

4 : very bright

electric blue

electric orange

—

electrically

play \i-ˈlek-tri-k(ə-)lē, ē-\ adverb

See electric defined for English-language learners

See electric defined for kids

Examples of electric in a Sentence

The device administers a mild electric shock.
It plugs into any electric socket.
The electrical cord is damaged.
There's a problem with the building's electrical wiring.
The pianist gave an electric performance.
The atmosphere in the room was electric.

Recent Examples of electric from the Web

General Motors will soon hit the 200,000-car threshold with its line of electric vehicles.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Scott Pruitt is still under investigation by EPA watchdog," 13 July 2018
Curator Zach Spechler said the canopy covers 28 cars and has two charging stations for electric vehicles.

— lois k. solomon, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Why are solar trees popping up all over? Thank thousands of South Florida families," 13 July 2018
Last year, China accounted for more than half of the electric vehicles sold globally, according to the International Energy Agency.

— New York Times, "Trump’s Trade War With China Pierces the Heart of Michigan," 12 July 2018
The $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles is set to start phasing out for the Model S, Model X, and Model 3 after Dec. 31, according to the company’s website.

— Fortune, "Tesla Buyers Hear Clock Ticking as $7,500 Credit Phases Out," 12 July 2018
The goal is to produce 500,000 electric vehicles a year, rivaling production at its Fremont, Calif., factory and marking the biggest step in Tesla’s overseas expansion.

— recode staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: The U.K. slaps Facebook with its first fine for the Cambridge Analytica data fiasco," 11 July 2018
Auto brands in China are required to make electric vehicles at least 10 percent of their sales starting next year or buy credits from competitors that exceed their quotas.

— joe mcdonald, The Seattle Times, "Tesla will build its 1st factory outside US in Shanghai," 10 July 2018
Auto brands in China are required to make electric vehicles at least 10 percent of their sales starting next year or buy credits from competitors that exceed their quotas.

— joe mcdonald, USA TODAY, "BMW group and Great Wall Motors partner to make electric MINIs in China," 10 July 2018
China recently decided to gradually end that policy, with preference for electric vehicles.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Chinese firm will build battery factory in Germany to supply BMW, Volkswagen," 9 July 2018

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

Did You Know?

The word electric is derived from the Greek word for amber, elektron. It is only in modern times that practical use has been made of electricity, but some electrical phenomena have been known since antiquity. Certain philosophers of ancient Greece found that by rubbing amber with a piece of cloth, they could enable the amber to pick up light objects, such as feathers. In the 17th century, students of natural science began to discover that other natural phenomena were related to the effect of friction on amber.

Origin and Etymology of electric

New Latin electricus produced from amber by friction, electric, from Medieval Latin, of amber, from Latin electrum amber, electrum, from Greek ēlektron; akin to Greek ēlektōr beaming sun

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1722

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

electric Synonyms

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

feedback, fuse, incandescent, noise, resonance

electric

noun

Definition of electric

1 archaic : a nonconductor of electricity used to excite or accumulate electricity

2 : something (such as a light, automobile, or train) operated by electricity

Recent Examples of electric from the Web

Though plenty of small aircraft—from two-seat helicopters like the Robinson R-22 to any number of conventional airplanes—could theoretically form a fleet of air taxis today, Uber and its partners think electric is the way to go.

— eric adams, WIRED, "Four Reasons We Don’t Have Flying Cars—Yet," 15 June 2018
Sanders came in from junior college and struggled greatly in his first few months, despite having stuff the staff called electric.

— brody miller, NOLA.com, "LSU baseball players and signees to watch for at the MLB Draft this week," 4 June 2018
Among the bike options are an electric-assist model.

— phil marty, chicagotribune.com, "Music across the Midwest, rib festival in Indiana and more reasons to hit the road," 30 May 2018
In April, Justin Gerdes wrote a fantastic piece for Greentech Media about efforts by a California environmentalist and his family to go all electric.

— david roberts, Vox, "Most American homes are still heated with fossil fuels. It’s time to electrify.," 2 July 2018
So, all-electrics have heat limitations in places like Texas and range limitations in places like New York.

— ed wallace, star-telegram, "Promises, Promises," 22 June 2018
The firm's first commercial robot, the SpotMini, is all electric.

— matt o'brien, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Boston Dynamics' scary robot videos: Are they for real?," 8 June 2018
The firm’s first commercial robot, the SpotMini, is all electric.

— Washington Post, "Boston Dynamics’ scary robot videos: Are they for real?," 5 June 2018
The firm's first commercial robot, the SpotMini, is all electric.

— matt o'brien, chicagotribune.com, "Stranger things: Are Boston Dynamics' scary robots for real?," 5 June 2018

First Known Use of electric

1646

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

feedback, fuse, incandescent, noise, resonance

ELECTRIC Defined for English Language Learners

electric

adjective

Definition of electric for English Language Learners

: of or relating to electricity
: operated by electricity
: providing electricity

ELECTRIC Defined for Kids

electric

adjective elec·tric \ i-ˈlek-trik \

Definition of electric for Students

1 or electrical\-tri-kəl\ : of or relating to electricity or its use

an electric current

electrical engineering

2 : heated, moved, made, or run by electricity

an electric heater

an electric locomotive

3 : giving off sounds through an electronic amplifier

an electric guitar

4 : having a thrilling effect

The singer gave an electric performance.

—

electrically

adverb

electrically powered cars

History for electric

People in ancient Greece found that if they rubbed a piece of amber it would attract light things like straws and feathers. The rubbing gave the amber an electric charge. We owe the English word electric to this property of amber. Our word came from a Greek word ēlektron that meant “amber.”