FromMiddle Englishcurraunt, borrowed fromOld Frenchcurant (Frenchcourant), present participle ofcourre(“to run”), fromLatincurrere(“to run”) (present participlecurrens).Doublet ofcourant.

• (Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):/ˈkʌɹ.ənt/
• (General American)IPA^(key):/ˈkʌɹ.ənt/,/ˈkɝ.ɪnt/,/ˈkɝ.ənt/

  • Audio(US,without thehurry–furry merger):

    (file)

  • Audio(US,hurry–furry merger):

    (file)

• (Canada)IPA^(key):/ˈkʌɹ.ɪnt/
• Rhymes:-ʌɹənt
• Homophones:currant;courant(with both thehurry–furry merger andcure–fir merger)

current (countable anduncountable,pluralcurrents)

1. Thegenerallyunidirectionalmovement of agas orfluid.
   • 2012, Chinle Miller,In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition:

     The mantle is important to our discussion in that its viscous nature can conduct convectioncurrents that have effects on the crust upon which we live.

2. The part of afluid that moves continuously in a certain direction, especially(oceanography)short forocean current.

   Synonyms:flow,stream

3. (electricity) The amount ofelectric charge flowing in each unit of time.
   • Symbol:I (inclined upper case letter "I")
   • Units:

   SI:ampere (A)

   CGS:esu/second (esu/s)

   Synonym:electric current

4. Atendency or acourse ofevents.

   Synonyms:flow,stream,tendency

• Not to be confused withcurrant.

• → Punjabi: kraṉṭ

  Gurmukhi script:ਕਰੰਟ

  Shahmukhi script:کرنٹ

current (comparativecurrenterormorecurrent,superlativecurrentestormostcurrent)

1. Existing or occurring at themoment.

   Synonyms:present;see alsoThesaurus:present

   Antonyms:future,past

   current events

   current leaders

   current negotiations

   • 2013 July 19,Timothy Garton Ash, “Where Dr Pangloss meets Machiavelli”, inThe Guardian Weekly‎^[1], volume189, number 6, page18:

     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. Thecurrent power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements.

2. Generally accepted, used, practiced, or prevalent at the moment; having currency.

   Synonyms:fashionable,prevailing,prevalent,rife,up-to-date;see alsoThesaurus:fashionable

   Antonyms:out-of-date,unfashionable;see alsoThesaurus:unfashionable

   current affairs

   current bills and coins

   current fashions

   • 1727,John Arbuthnot,Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures. Explain'd and exemplify'd in several dissertations:

     That there wascurrent money in Abraham's time is past doubt.

   • 2013 June 22, “T time”, inThe Economist, volume407, number8841, page68:

     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.

3. (South Asia)Electric; of or relating toelectricity.

   current bill

   current shock

   • 2021 June 13, Ravali Hymavathi, “Telangana: Even The TSSPDCL Is Facing Heavy Losses Due To Covid-19”, inThe Hans India‎^[2]:

     In April and May this year, the average dailycurrent consumption dropped to 55 MU[…]Compared to household electricity charges, thecurrent unit charge used by commercial companies is higher.[…]Electricity consumption is generally higher in summer as compared to monsoon and winter. The use of ACs will increase not only in homes but also in commercial establishments andcurrent consumption will increase.

4. (obsolete) Running or moving rapidly.

   Synonym:speeding

   • 1859,Alfred Tennyson, “Vivien”, inIdylls of the King, London:Edward Moxon & Co., […],→OCLC,page114:

     For here we met, some ten or twelve of us, / To chase a creature that wascurrent then / In these wild woods, the hart with golden horns.

• Curtner

current

1. third-personpluralfutureactiveindicative ofcurrō