short-circuit

verb

short-cir·cuit | \ˈshȯrt-ˈsər-kət

short-circuited; short-circuiting; short-circuits

Definition of short-circuit

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to apply a short circuit to or establish a short circuit in

2 : bypass sense 2

3 : frustrate, impede

intransitive verb

: to become shunted by a short circuit The radio short-circuited.

short circuit

noun

Definition of short circuit (Entry 2 of 2)

: a connection of comparatively low resistance accidentally or intentionally made between points on a circuit between which the resistance is normally much greater

Examples of short-circuit in a Sentence

Noun

The fire was caused by a short circuit.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Government documents say a short circuit can develop in an air bag control computer made by parts supplier ZF-TRW, and the air bags can fail to deploy. — Tom Krisher, USA TODAY, "Kia recalls more than 500,000 vehicles over concerns that air bags may not inflate," 11 June 2018 The trouble should have stopped there but a circuit breaker failed to trigger, allowing the short circuit to reach a transformer, where another circuit breaker did activate. — Kevin Spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando downtown power outage for thousands: initially a mystery and now explained," 28 June 2018 The effects of that short circuit traveled nearly instantly to a transformer station near Robinson Street and Interstate 4. — Kevin Spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando downtown power outage for thousands: initially a mystery and now explained," 28 June 2018 Government documents say a short circuit can develop in an air bag control computer made by parts supplier ZF-TRW, and the air bags can fail to deploy. — Tom Krisher, USA TODAY, "Kia recalls more than 500,000 vehicles over concerns that air bags may not inflate," 11 June 2018 Government documents say a short circuit can develop in an air bag control computer made by parts supplier ZF-TRW, and the air bags can fail to deploy. — Tom Krisher, USA TODAY, "Kia recalls more than 500,000 vehicles over concerns that air bags may not inflate," 11 June 2018 Government documents say a short circuit can develop in an air bag control computer made by parts supplier ZF-TRW, and the air bags can fail to deploy. — Tom Krisher, BostonGlobe.com, "Kia recalls over 500,000 vehicles; air bags may not inflate," 8 June 2018 During a couple of laps around a short circuit at the Monticello Motor Club, the PP2 felt right at home. — Gary Gastelu, Fox News, "2018 Ford Mustang GT test drive: Survival of the fittest," 25 May 2018 The company found that a short circuit may trigger when drivers accelerate the vehicle under cruise control, which may be necessary to maintain speed while driving up a hill. — Lindsey Murray, Good Housekeeping, "Fiat Chrysler Recalls 4.8 Million Vehicles That Can Get Stuck in Cruise Control," 25 May 2018

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