Phrase guide

short circuit

noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A usually unintentional connection of low resistance or impedance in a circuit such that excessive and often damaging current flows in it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, electrical, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: short

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A logical disconnect, such as cognitive dissonance or poor analysis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To cause a short circuit in.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To undergo a short circuit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To force termination of an ongoing process before its natural conclusion, by bypassing one or more intermediary steps.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To impede or disrupt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To bypass, especially by overhastiness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To terminate a loop before the declared termination condition is met, or a conditional before all conditions have been tested for.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: short

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: contact, tangency

History

Etymology

short + circuit

Across languages

Translations

72 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: կարճ միացում (karč miacʻum) — unintentional connection
  • Azerbaijani: qısa qapanma — unintentional connection
  • Belarusian: каро́ткае замыка́нне (karótkaje zamykánnje) — unintentional connection
  • Bulgarian: къ́со съедине́ние (kǎ́so sǎedinénie) — unintentional connection
  • Catalan: curtcircuit — unintentional connection
  • Chinese Mandarin: 短路 (duǎnlù) — unintentional connection
  • Chinese Mandarin: 短接 (duǎnjiē) — unintentional connection
  • Czech: zkrat — unintentional connection
  • Danish: kortslutning — unintentional connection
  • Dutch: kortsluiting — unintentional connection
  • Esperanto: kurta cirkvito — unintentional connection
  • Estonian: lühis — unintentional connection
  • Estonian: lühiühendus — unintentional connection
  • Finnish: oikosulku — unintentional connection
  • French: court-circuit — unintentional connection
  • Georgian: მოკლე ჩართვა (moḳle čartva) — unintentional connection
  • Georgian: მოკლე შერთვა (moḳle šertva) — unintentional connection
  • German: Kurzschluss — unintentional connection
  • Greek: βραχυκύκλωμα (vrachykýkloma) — unintentional connection
  • Hebrew: קצר (kétser) — unintentional connection
  • Hungarian: rövidzárlat — unintentional connection
  • Hungarian: rövidre zárás — unintentional connection
  • Indonesian: hubungan pendek — unintentional connection
  • Indonesian: korsleting — unintentional connection
  • Indonesian: arus pendek — unintentional connection
  • Indonesian: hubung pendek — unintentional connection
  • Irish: gearrchiorcad — unintentional connection
  • Italian: cortocircuito — unintentional connection
  • Japanese: 短絡 (tanraku) — unintentional connection
  • Japanese: ショート (shōto) — unintentional connection
  • Kazakh: қысқаша тұйықталу (qysqaşa tūiyqtalu) — unintentional connection
  • Korean: 쇼트 (syoteu) — unintentional connection
  • Korean: 합선 (hapseon) — unintentional connection
  • Latvian: īssavienojums — unintentional connection
  • Macedonian: краток спој (kratok spoj) — unintentional connection
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kortslutning — unintentional connection
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kortslutning — unintentional connection
  • Occitan: cortcircuit — unintentional connection
  • Polish: zwarcie — unintentional connection
  • Polish: spięcie — unintentional connection
  • Portuguese: curto-circuito — unintentional connection
  • Russian: коро́ткое замыка́ние (korótkoje zamykánije) — unintentional connection
  • Serbo-Croatian: кратки спој — unintentional connection
  • Serbo-Croatian: kratki spoj — unintentional connection
  • Slovak: skrat — unintentional connection
  • Slovene: kratki stik — unintentional connection
  • Spanish: cortocircuito — unintentional connection
  • Spanish: corto — unintentional connection
  • Sranan Tongo: syatusroiti — unintentional connection
  • Swedish: kortslutning — unintentional connection
  • Tagalog: laktod — unintentional connection
  • Ukrainian: коро́тке замика́ння (korótke zamykánnja) — unintentional connection
  • Vietnamese: đoản mạch — unintentional connection
  • Welsh: cylched fer — unintentional connection
  • Catalan: curtcircuitar — to cause a short circuit in
  • Chinese Mandarin: 短接 (duǎnjiē) — to cause a short circuit in
  • Danish: kortslutte — to cause a short circuit in
  • Estonian: lühistama — to cause a short circuit in
  • French: court-circuiter — to cause a short circuit in
  • Greek: βραχυκυκλώνω (vrachykyklóno) — to cause a short circuit in
  • Irish: gearrchiorcad — to cause a short circuit in
  • Italian: mandare in corto circuito — to cause a short circuit in
  • Japanese: 短絡する (tanraku suru) — to cause a short circuit in
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kortslutte — to cause a short circuit in
  • Polish: spiąć — to cause a short circuit in
  • Polish: zewrzeć — to cause a short circuit in
  • Portuguese: curto-circuitar — to cause a short circuit in
  • Slovak: spôsobiť skrat — to cause a short circuit in
  • Spanish: cortocircuitar — to cause a short circuit in
  • Swedish: kortsluta — to cause a short circuit in
  • Chinese Mandarin: 短路 (duǎnlù) — to undergo a short circuit
  • Spanish: cortocircuitarse — to undergo a short circuit