current Hear it!

current definition

cur·rent (kʉr′ənt)

adjective

  1. Obsolete running or flowing
    1. now going on; now in progress the current month, his current job
    2. at the present time; contemporary current fashions
    3. of most recent date the current edition
  3. passing from person to person; circulating current money, current rumors
  4. commonly used, known, or accepted; prevalent a current term
  5. Accounting
    1. designating any asset that would normally be converted into cash within one year
    2. designating any liability that must be paid within one year

Etymology: altered (infl. by L) < ME curraunt < OFr curant, prp. of courre < L currere, to run < IE base *kers-, to run, wagon > Gaul carros

noun

  1. a flow of water or air, esp. when strong or swift, in a definite direction; specif., such a flow within a larger body of water or mass of air
  2. a general tendency or drift; course
  3. Elec. the flow or rate of flow of electrons, ions, or holes in a conductor or medium between two points having a difference in potential, measured in amperes and equal to the ratio of the voltage to the resistance: symbol, I

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical current definition - medical

telecom current definition - telecom

current Synonyms

current

modif.

prevailing, contemporary, in fashion; see fashionable, modern 1, popular 3, prevailing. See syn. study at prevailing.


current

n.

drift, tidal motion, ebb and flow, course; see flow, tide. See syn. study at tendency.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

current Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • induce: This experiment's goal is the observation of currents induced by a changing magnetic field.

Adjective modifier

  • electric: Amp Rating Measure of the strength of an electric current.

Modifies a noun

  • situation: Doing nothing except granting drought orders will just mean the current situation will continue to ride.

Used with adjective complement

  • alternate: Back to Revision Session Index Revision Session Two Alternating Current Describe what is meant by alternating current.

Noun used with modifier

  • air: With its gently shelving beaches and a warm air currents, the Algarve has drawn visitors to its sun-drenched shores for years.

Preposition: of

  • air: Fine particles are of the greatest concern since they are capable of being easily transported over long distances on currents of air.
current usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

current quotes

A current under sea Picked his bones in whispers.

-Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)

   Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedesbeforeus.It eludedusthen, but that's no matteröto-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further† And one fine morning† So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

-Fitzgerald, F(rancis) Scott Key

   It is this backward motion toward the source, Against the stream, that most we see ourselves in. The tribute of the current to the source.

-Frost, Robert Lee

current quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"current." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/current>

APA Style

current. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/current

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