Meaning & use
short-circuiting
Last updated
“short-circuiting” is a form of “short-circuit”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitivetechnical
Causing electricity to take an unplanned, easier path in a circuit, often leading to sparks, damage or a power cut.
Grammar: Can take an object (short-circuiting the wiring) or have none (the toaster is short-circuiting).
Patterns
- short-circuiting something
- something is short-circuiting
Water got inside the plug, short-circuiting the whole extension lead.
The old wiring was short-circuiting and tripping the fuse every night.
A loose wire is short-circuiting the battery, so the lights keep failing.
verbtransitivefigurative
Avoiding or cutting out the usual steps of a process, so that things happen faster or are disrupted.
Grammar: Takes an object: short-circuiting the approval process.
Patterns
- short-circuiting a process
- short-circuiting the system
Calling the manager directly is short-circuiting the normal complaints procedure.
The new software is short-circuiting weeks of paperwork.
Some critics say the rushed law is short-circuiting proper debate.
verbintransitivecomputing
In computing, stopping a logical test early once the answer is already certain, without checking the remaining conditions.
Grammar: Often describes a language or operator: the operator is short-circuiting.
Patterns
- short-circuiting evaluation
The AND operator is short-circuiting, so the second condition never runs when the first is false.
Short-circuiting evaluation prevents an error when the list is empty.
Our compiler is short-circuiting the check to save time.
Word forms
| base | short-circuit |
|---|---|
| third person singular | short-circuits |
| past tense | short-circuited |
| past participle | short-circuited |
Common combinations
- short-circuiting the wiring
- A rat chewing cables was short-circuiting the wiring.
- short-circuiting the process
- He was accused of short-circuiting the hiring process.
- risk short-circuiting
- Rushing the tests would risk short-circuiting the safety checks.
- short-circuiting evaluation
- Short-circuiting evaluation makes some conditions run faster.
- inadvertently short-circuiting
- She was inadvertently short-circuiting the circuit with a metal tool.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bypassing
- It means going around something, but it does not carry the electrical image or the idea of a sudden break.
- circumventing
- It is more formal and often suggests getting around a rule, not just skipping a step.
- shorting out
- It is the informal technician's phrase for the electrical meaning only.
- skipping
- It is the plain everyday word for leaving out a step and sounds less technical.
Opposites
Word family
- short circuit noun
- an unplanned electrical path that can cause damage
- short-circuit verb
- to cause or undergo a short circuit
- circuit noun
- a closed path for electric current
- circuitry noun
- the system of circuits in a device
Commonly confused: short-circuiting or short-circuited?
short-circuiting vs short-circuited
This is the past form. Use short-circuiting for the -ing form: the wire is short-circuiting, not is short-circuited.
Practice
Which sentence uses short-circuiting in its figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
Short-circuiting the approval steps means bypassing a normal process. The other options describe electrical faults, which is the literal meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “short-circuiting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.