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
But 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
He 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
2
: 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
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
In 1982, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection or electrocution.
—Lola Ogunnaike
Cite this Entry
“Electrocute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electrocute. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.
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