Current

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ˈkʌɹənt/
• GenAm IPA: /ˈkɝɹənt/

Origin

From Middle English curraunt, from Old French curant (French: courant), present participle of courre ("to run"), from Latin currere, present active infinitive of currō ("I run").

Full definition of current

Noun

1. The part of a fluid that moves continuously in a certain direction.
2. (electricity) The time rate of flow of electric charge.
• Symbol: I (inclined upper case letter "I")
• Units:
3. SI: ampere (A)CGS: esu/second (esu/s)
4. A tendency or a course of events.

Synonyms

• (part of a fluid that moves continuously in a certain direction): flow, stream
• (time rate of flow of electric charge): electric current
• (tendency or course of events): flow, stream, tendency

Derived terms

• undercurrent

Adjective

1. Existing or occurring at the moment.
• 2013-07-19, Timothy Garton Ash, Where Dr Pangloss meets Machiavelli, Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe. Some call it geoeconomics, but it's geopolitics too. The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements.
2. current events;  current leaders;  current negotiations
3. Generally accepted, used, practiced, or prevalent at the moment.
• ArbuthnotThat there was current money in Abraham's time is past doubt.
• 2013-06-22, T time, The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them...is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies....current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate...“stateless income”: profit subject to tax in a jurisdiction that is neither the location of the factors of production that generate the income nor where the parent firm is domiciled.
4. current affairs;  current bills and coins;  current fashions
5. (obsolete) Running or moving rapidly.
• GowerLike the current fire, that renneth
  Upon a cord.
• TennysonTo chase a creature that was current then
  In these wild woods, the hart with golden horns.

Synonyms

• (existing or occurring at the moment): present
• (generally accepted, used, practiced, or prevalent at the moment): fashionable, prevailing, prevalent, rife, up-to-date

Antonyms

• (existing or occurring at the moment): future, past
• (generally accepted, used, practiced, or prevalent at the moment): out-of-date, unfashionable

Related terms

• current account
• current events
• currently