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
People get impaled, electrocuted, blown up real good.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
Someone else will have to do the job: her dad accidentally electrocuted himself.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
The Times reported that if Lynskey or his clothes had touched the third rail, which runs outside the track and electrifies the subway, chances are he would've been electrocuted.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
While fleeing, the teen jumped over a concrete security fence into the power supply terminal, at which point he was electrocuted and a fire started, police said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for electrocute
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David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
Someone else will have to do the job: her dad accidentally electrocuted himself.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
The Times reported that if Lynskey or his clothes had touched the third rail, which runs outside the track and electrifies the subway, chances are he would've been electrocuted.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
While fleeing, the teen jumped over a concrete security fence into the power supply terminal, at which point he was electrocuted and a fire started, police said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for electrocute
Cite this Entry
“Electrocute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electrocute. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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
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