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
Brockman electrocuted while trimming trees On the day he was electrocuted, Brockman and his work crew were removing limbs that were close to Evergy power lines, the lawsuit said.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2025
Even though Lockett was electrocuted, Kentuckians believed the sentence was too lenient.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Other risks include being crushed between the train and tunnel walls and being electrocuted by high-voltage subway tracks.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Joe initially thought his wife had fallen asleep in the bath but suspected she had been electrocuted after seeing the phone in the water.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for electrocute
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Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2025
Even though Lockett was electrocuted, Kentuckians believed the sentence was too lenient.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Other risks include being crushed between the train and tunnel walls and being electrocuted by high-voltage subway tracks.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Joe initially thought his wife had fallen asleep in the bath but suspected she had been electrocuted after seeing the phone in the water.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 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 4 Nov. 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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