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CURRENT
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A steady flow of a fluid (usually from natural causes)
Example:
the hose ejected a stream of water
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("current" is a kind of...):
flow; flowing (the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "current"):
tidal current; tidal flow (the water current caused by the tides)
rip current; riptide (a strong surface current flowing outwards from a shore)
undercurrent; undertide (a current below the surface of a fluid)
torrent; violent stream (a violently fast stream of water (or other liquid))
eddy; twist (a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself)
maelstrom; vortex; whirlpool (a powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides))
ocean current (the steady flow of surface ocean water in a prevailing direction)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas
Example:
the current of history
Synonyms:
current; flow; stream
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("current" is a kind of...):
course; line (a connected series of events or actions or developments)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A flow of electricity through a conductor
Example:
the current was measured in amperes
Synonyms:
current; electric current
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("current" is a kind of...):
electrical phenomenon (a physical phenomenon involving electricity)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "current"):
juice (electric current)
thermionic current (an electric current produced between two electrodes as a result of electrons emitted by thermionic emission)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Occurring in or belonging to the present time
Example:
the ship's current position
Classified under:
Similar:
latest; up-to-the-minute (up to the immediate present; most recent or most up-to-date)
up-to-date; up to date (reflecting the latest information or changes)
topical (of interest at the present time)
on-line; online (being in progress now)
on-going; ongoing (currently happening)
occurrent (presently occurring (either causally or incidentally))
live (in current use or ready for use)
live (of current relevance)
incumbent (currently holding an office)
contemporary; present-day (belonging to the present time)
circulating (passing from one to another)
afoot; underway (currently in progress)
actual (being or existing at the present moment)
Also:
modern (belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages)
new (not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered)
Attribute:
currency; currentness; up-to-dateness (the property of belonging to the present time)
Antonym:
noncurrent (not current or belonging to the present time)
Derivation:
currency; currentness (the property of belonging to the present time)
Context examples:
A SI derived unit used for linear electric current density, magnetic field strength, and magnetization.
(Ampere per Meter, NCI Thesaurus)
A unit of electric current, one of the seven base units of the International System of Units (Systeme International d'Unites, SI).
(Ampere, NCI Thesaurus)
The cumulative amount recovered from the specimen type, from dosing to end of the current collection interval divided by the weight.
(Amount Recovered Normalized by Weight, NCI Thesaurus)
Her only resource was to get out of the subject as fast as possible, and turn the current of Sir Thomas's ideas into a happier channel.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
With smoke remaining in the Pacific, more particles could be expected to arrive in Brazil in the weeks ahead, depending on wind currents.
(Australian bushfire smoke drifts to South America, SciDev.Net)
Many current treatments for neurodegenerative conditions actually aim to enhance cell clearance, which may worsen rather than improve neurodegenerative symptoms, making the need for new treatment strategies an urgent priority.
(New Mechanisms Found of Cell Death in Neurodegenerative Disorders, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
This process, called rectification, generates net DC electrical current.
(Harvesting Electrical Power from Waste Heat, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
The CNEOS team plotted the object's current trajectory and even looked into its future.
(Small Asteroid or Comet 'Visits' from Beyond the Solar System, NASA)
Current global vegetation models have faced challenges in producing consistent estimates of plant CO2 uptake, scientists say.
(What's killing trees during droughts?, National Science Foundation)
An orbiting planet moving through the magnetosphere of the brown dwarf could be generating a current, but scientists will have to map the aurora to figure out its source.
(Powerful Auroras Found at Brown Dwarf, NASA)