electricity

noun

i-lek-TRIS-i-tee/ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɪs.ɪ.ti/UKee-lek-TRIS-i-tee/ˌiː.lɛkˈtɹɪs.ɪ.ti/

6 meanings of electricity

1
noununcountable
Power that comes from power stations and runs lights, machines, and other things.
Like water that flows into your home through pipes, but it powers things instead of filling glasses.
The storm cut off the electricity to half the town.
We use electricity to power the heater and the lights.
Similarpower
Note
2
noununcountable
Energy that comes from power stations, used to make machines and lights work.
Like fuel for a car, but it makes machines and lights work instead.
Solar panels can make electricity for a whole house.
Turning off lights at night helps save electricity.
Similarpower, energy
3
noununcountable
A kind of energy that comes from tiny moving particles, used to make light, heat, and movement.
Like the small spark you feel when you touch a metal door after walking on a carpet.
Rubbing a balloon on your hair makes electricity that pulls the hair up.
Lightning is a giant burst of electricity in the sky.
Note
4
noununcountablebefore a noun
The service that brings power to homes and businesses, which you pay for each month.
Like paying for water that comes into your home, but for power instead.
Our electricity got cut off because we forgot to pay the bill.
They are switching to a cheaper electricity provider next month.
Similarpower
Note
5
noununcountable
A strong feeling of excitement or a thrill.
Like the buzzing feeling you get just before something exciting happens.
You could feel the electricity in the room before the big game.
There was real electricity between the two dancers.
Similarexcitement, tension, thrill, energy
Note
6
noununcountable
The part of science that studies how electric charges and currents behave.
Just as biology is the study of living things, this is the study of electric charge.
She studied electricity and magnetism in college.
This book on electricity explains how simple circuits work.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from the word "electric" plus the ending "-ity."