electrocute
verb
elec·tro·cute
i-ˈlek-trə-ˌkyüt 
electrocuted; electrocuting
1
: to kill or severely injure by electric shock
Because of flawed electrical work by contractors, the bulletin stated, soldiers at U.S. bases in Iraq had received severe electrical shocks, and some had even been electrocuted.—
James Risen
James RisenBut if a power outage occurs, the PV [photovoltaic] system has to shut down or it could electrocute utility workers who think they're working on dead lines.—Popular Science
Popular ScienceHe was working on Pier 38 on the West Side of Manhattan when he was accidently electrocuted by a high-voltage wire. He suffered second- and third-degree burns and had to undergo painful skin grafts.—Robert I. Friedman
Robert I. Friedman2
: to execute (a criminal) by electricity
Two of the big fish, Emanuel (Mendy) Weiss and Louis Capone, ultimately were convicted and electrocuted with the boss himself …—Scott Christianson
Scott Christianson
electrocution
noun
Last year, we spent our vacation in a rustic cabin in Burgundy, where we … risked electrocution every time we recharged our laptop using the cabin's rustic, non-grounded electrical outlets.
—Laura Colby
Laura Colby
In 1982, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection or electrocution.
—Lola Ogunnaike
Lola Ogunnaike
Examples of electrocute in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The crew's leader, Andriy, asks NPR's team to stay back to avoid getting electrocuted.
—Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 9 Dec. 2024
The incident occurred on Wednesday at approximately 10 a.m. when the Wellesley Police Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a man had possibly been electrocuted on Falmouth Circle in Wellesley, according to a statement from the Wellesley Police Department.
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2024
On Thursday, that became Mateo’s last act when he was electrocuted while hanging up the lights on a roof in an unincorporated area of Escondido.
—Kristen Taketa, The Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2024
Man installing Christmas lights in Escondido dies after being electrocuted.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for electrocute 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 9 Dec. 2024
The incident occurred on Wednesday at approximately 10 a.m. when the Wellesley Police Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a man had possibly been electrocuted on Falmouth Circle in Wellesley, according to a statement from the Wellesley Police Department.
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2024
On Thursday, that became Mateo’s last act when he was electrocuted while hanging up the lights on a roof in an unincorporated area of Escondido.
—Kristen Taketa, The Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2024
Man installing Christmas lights in Escondido dies after being electrocuted.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for electrocute
Dictionary Entries Near electrocute
Cite this Entry
“Electrocute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electrocute. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
electrocute
verb
elec·tro·cute
i-ˈlek-trə-ˌkyüt
electrocuted; electrocuting
1
: to execute (a criminal) by electricity
2
: to kill or injure by electric shock
Medical Definition
electrocute
transitive verb
elec·tro·cute
i-ˈlek-trə-ˌkyüt
electrocuted; electrocuting
1
: to kill or severely injure by electric shock
2
: to execute (a criminal) by electricity
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share