electrocute
verb
elec·tro·cute
i-ˈlek-trə-ˌkyüt 
electrocuted; electrocuting
1
: to kill or severely injure by electric shock
Because of flawed electrical work by contractors, the bulletin stated, soldiers at U.S. bases in Iraq had received severe electrical shocks, and some had even been electrocuted.—
James Risen
James RisenBut if a power outage occurs, the PV [photovoltaic] system has to shut down or it could electrocute utility workers who think they're working on dead lines.—Popular Science
Popular ScienceHe was working on Pier 38 on the West Side of Manhattan when he was accidently electrocuted by a high-voltage wire. He suffered second- and third-degree burns and had to undergo painful skin grafts.—Robert I. Friedman
Robert I. Friedman2
: to execute (a criminal) by electricity
Two of the big fish, Emanuel (Mendy) Weiss and Louis Capone, ultimately were convicted and electrocuted with the boss himself …—Scott Christianson
Scott Christianson
electrocution
noun
Last year, we spent our vacation in a rustic cabin in Burgundy, where we … risked electrocution every time we recharged our laptop using the cabin's rustic, non-grounded electrical outlets.
—Laura Colby
Laura Colby
In 1982, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection or electrocution.
—Lola Ogunnaike
Lola Ogunnaike
Examples of electrocute in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is the crowd-control class, where one use of the impactor can electrocute an entire group of Hiss in one fell swoop.
—Jason Fanelli, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
These lights electrocute the good guys, too, in huge numbers.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 11 May 2025
Two men working on the roof of a Maryland church died after being electrocuted by a power line, police said and news outlets reported.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
And a 22-year-old man was attempting to put out a mulch fire when he was electrocuted near a utility pole, police in Centre County said in a news release.
—Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for electrocute
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Jason Fanelli, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
These lights electrocute the good guys, too, in huge numbers.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 11 May 2025
Two men working on the roof of a Maryland church died after being electrocuted by a power line, police said and news outlets reported.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
And a 22-year-old man was attempting to put out a mulch fire when he was electrocuted near a utility pole, police in Centre County said in a news release.
—Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for electrocute
Cite this Entry
“Electrocute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electrocute. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
electrocute
verb
elec·tro·cute
i-ˈlek-trə-ˌkyüt
electrocuted; electrocuting
1
: to execute (a criminal) by electricity
2
: to kill or injure by electric shock
Medical Definition
electrocute
transitive verb
elec·tro·cute
i-ˈlek-trə-ˌkyüt
electrocuted; electrocuting
1
: to kill or severely injure by electric shock
2
: to execute (a criminal) by electricity
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