current

[ kur-uhnt, kuhr- ]
See synonyms for: currentcurrently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. passing in time; belonging to the time actually passing: the current month.

  2. prevalent; customary: the current practice.

  1. popular; in vogue: current fashions.

  2. new; present; most recent: the current issue of a publication.

  3. publicly reported or known: a rumor that is current.

  4. passing from one to another; circulating, as a coin.

  5. Archaic. running; flowing.

  6. Obsolete. genuine; authentic.

noun
  1. a flowing; flow, as of a river.

  2. something that flows, as a stream.

  1. a large portion of air, large body of water, etc., moving in a certain direction.

  2. the speed at which such flow moves; velocity of flow.

  3. Electricity. electric current.

  4. a course, as of time or events; the main course; the general tendency.

Origin of current

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin current-, stem of currēns “running,” present participle of currere; replacing Middle English curraunt, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above; see -ent

Other words for current

Opposites for current

Other words from current

  • cur·rent·ly, adverb
  • non·cur·rent, adjective
  • non·cur·rent·ly, adverb
  • pre·cur·rent, adjective
  • un·cur·rent, adjective
  • un·cur·rent·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with current

Words Nearby current

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use current in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for current

current

/ (ˈkʌrənt) /


adjective
  1. of the immediate present; in progress: current events

  2. most recent; up-to-date

  1. commonly known, practised, or accepted; widespread: a current rumour

  2. circulating and valid at present: current coins

noun
  1. (esp of water or air) a steady usually natural flow

  2. a mass of air, body of water, etc, that has a steady flow in a particular direction

  1. the rate of flow of such a mass

  2. Also called: electric current physics

    • a flow of electric charge through a conductor

    • the rate of flow of this charge. It is measured in amperes: Symbol: I

  3. a general trend or drift: currents of opinion

Origin of current

1
C13: from Old French corant, literally: running, from corre to run, from Latin currere

Derived forms of current

  • currently, adverb
  • currentness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for current

current

[ kûrənt ]


  1. A flowing movement in a liquid, gas, plasma, or other form of matter, especially one that follows a recognizable course.

  2. A flow of positive electric charge. The strength of current flow in any medium is related to voltage differences in that medium, as well as the electrical properties of the medium, and is measured in amperes. Since electrons are stipulated to have a negative charge, current in an electrical circuit actually flows in the opposite direction of the movement of electrons. See also electromagnetism Ohm's law. See Note at electric charge.

a closer look

Electric current is the phenomenon most often experienced in the form of electricity. Any time an object with a net electric charge is in motion, such as an electron in a wire or a positively charged ion jetting into the atmosphere from a solar flare, there is an electric current; the total current moving through some cross-sectional area in a given direction is simply the amount of positive charge moving through that cross-section. Current is sometimes confused with electric potential or voltage, but a voltage difference between two points (such as the two terminals of a battery) means only that current can potentially flow between them; how much does in fact flow depends on the resistance of the material between the two points. Electrical signals transmitted through a wire generally propagate at nearly the speed of light, but the current in the wire actually moves very slowly: pushing electrons into one end of the wire is rather like pushing a marble into one end of a tube filled with marbles-a marble (or electron) gets pushed out the other end almost instantly, even though the marbles (or electrons) inside move only incrementally.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.