currents

noun

plural of current
1
as in tides
a prevailing or general movement or inclination the currents of fashion are always changing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in winds
noticeable movement of air in a particular direction curtains that were being lightly lifted by a fresh current from the open window

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of currents During sudden changes in the external magnetic field, the uninsulated coil remained stable and yielded key data on how fast electrical currents adjust inside the winding. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026 Video shared by police showed the catastrophic flooding, with entire buildings swept away in the powerful currents. — Callum Sutherland, Time, 26 Aug. 2026 Melting polar ice halts the North Atlantic Current, which moves warm ocean currents northeast across the Atlantic. — Peter Prengaman, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026 That area is home to important plant life and coral reefs, sustained by the currents that run through the strait. — Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Tuesday’s article is another cautionary tale to not read too much into this market’s conflicting cross currents and to take it all with a grain of salt. — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are native to the Gulf of Mexico, but powerful ocean currents can occasionally sweep them across the much-colder Atlantic, according to the Houston Zoo. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 In Maine, DeepGreen Western Passage has proposed a submersible AI data center in the Bay of Fundy, powered by tidal turbines designed to harness the area’s strong tidal currents. — Nir Kshetri, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 2026 Fausto brought high surf and dangerous currents, while Genevieve later contributed long period swells. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for currents
  1. tides
  2. winds
  3. tendencies
  4. trends
  5. directions
Noun
  • All eyes are set on the midterm elections to see how the voting tides have shifted or stayed the same.
    — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Saltwater speeds up rust and wear, plants need regular care, docks face storms and tides, and equipment like generators, solar panels, and desalination systems will eventually need replacing.
    — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of tides
Noun
  • The main concern will be frequent lightning and gusty winds with any storm that pops up.
    — Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The tornado is being classified as an EF0 (winds of 65 mph to 85 mph).
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of winds
Noun
  • This sense of threat can trigger authoritarian tendencies, including support for taking away civil liberties like the ability to give public speeches or run for political office from disliked others.
    — Paul Djupe, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The New York Young Republicans Club’s Nazi tendencies are well known.
    — Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of tendencies
Noun
  • As American record companies had long understood, these made London an ideal launchpad for pop-culture trends.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Here are eight once-tacky décor trends that designers are embracing once again.
    — Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of trends
Noun
  • This is different from heat-transporting phonons at room temperature, which spread out evenly in all directions.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
  • As of Sunday morning, the Hawk Fire was 0% contained and was moving in different directions as the winds changed, complicating the fight.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of directions

Browse Nearby Words

currentness
currents
curricle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Currents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/currents. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All