Meaning & use
direct current
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Meaning
noununcountabletechnicalphysics
An electric current that flows steadily in one direction only, like the current produced by a battery.
Grammar: No plural and no a: batteries produce direct current.
Patterns
- direct current from something
- convert something to direct current
A battery supplies direct current to the circuit.
The charger changes the mains supply into direct current for your phone.
Solar panels produce direct current, which an inverter can convert.
Common combinations
- supply direct current
- The adapter supplies direct current to the laptop.
- convert to direct current
- The device converts alternating current to direct current.
- direct current motor
- A direct current motor drives the toy car.
- direct current source
- A battery is a simple direct current source.
- alternating and direct current
- Students learn the difference between alternating and direct current.
Synonyms and how they differ
- DC
- This is the common abbreviation used in labels and speech, and means exactly the same thing.
- steady current
- This is an informal description of the idea, but it is not the technical term and can be vague.
- battery power
- This describes the source rather than the type of current, so it is looser than direct current.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: direct current or alternating current?
direct current vs alternating current
This is the opposite type of electricity, in which the flow changes direction many times each second.
Practice
A torch battery produces ____, because the charge flows in only one direction.
Choose one answer.
Direct current flows one way, which is how a battery works. Alternating current reverses direction, so it is the tempting but wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “direct current”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.