Meaning & use
short-circuited
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“short-circuited” is a form of “short-circuit”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitivetechnical
(of an electrical device or circuit) failed because current flowed along the wrong path, usually causing a spark, heat, or a loss of power.
Grammar: No object; the thing that fails is the subject: The old wiring short-circuited.
Patterns
- something short-circuits
- the wiring short-circuited
The toaster short-circuited and blew every fuse in the kitchen.
Water got into the socket and the whole system short-circuited.
If the wires touch, the battery will short-circuit within seconds.
verbtransitivetechnical
Deliberately caused a circuit to fail by joining two points so that the current takes a shorter path.
Grammar: Takes an object: you short-circuit a circuit, a battery, or a component.
Patterns
- short-circuit something
- short-circuit a battery
The engineer short-circuited the two terminals with a screwdriver.
Never short-circuit a car battery; it can overheat and explode.
He short-circuited the alarm by mistake while repairing it.
verbtransitivefigurative
Skipped the usual steps or people in a process, often to save time or get a faster result.
Grammar: Takes an object, often a procedure or a person in authority: short-circuit the usual checks.
Patterns
- short-circuit a process
- short-circuit someone
She short-circuited the whole approval process and emailed the director directly.
By going straight to the manager, he short-circuited his own supervisor.
The new software short-circuits several steps that used to take days.
Word forms
| base form | short-circuit |
|---|---|
| third person singular | short-circuits |
| past tense | short-circuited |
| past participle | short-circuited |
| -ing form | short-circuiting |
Common combinations
- short-circuit the system
- A loose wire can short-circuit the whole system.
- the wiring short-circuits
- The wiring short-circuits whenever it rains.
- short-circuit a process
- They short-circuited the process to meet the deadline.
- short-circuit the battery
- Do not let the tools short-circuit the battery.
- blow a fuse
- The lamp short-circuited and blew a fuse.
Synonyms and how they differ
- blow
- Use blow for a fuse or bulb that stops working suddenly; short-circuit describes the electrical fault that causes this.
- bypass
- Bypass fits the figurative sense of going around a rule or person, but it does not refer to electricity.
- malfunction
- Malfunction is a general word for any equipment failing; short-circuit is only about an electrical fault.
Word family
- short circuit noun
- the fault itself, as in a short circuit in the wiring.
- short-circuiting noun
- the act or process of causing such a fault.
Commonly confused: short-circuited or shortcut?
short-circuited vs shortcut
A shortcut is a quicker route or method; short-circuit is about an electrical fault or skipping official steps.
Practice
Water got into the plug and the machine ______.
Choose one answer.
The machine is the subject that fails, so the intransitive past form short-circuited fits. 'Shortcut' is a noun, and 'was short circuit' is not a grammatical verb form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “short-circuited”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.