adj. 1. a. Belonging to the present time; present-day: current events; current leaders; my current address. b. Being in progress now: current negotiations. 2. Commonly accepted or used; prevalent: current fashions; current technology. See Synonyms at prevailing. 3. Passing from one to another; circulating, as money or a rumor: current bills and coins. 4. Running; flowing. n. 1. A steady, smooth onward flow or movement: a current of air from a fan; a current of spoken words. See Synonyms at flow. 2. The part of a body of liquid or gas that has a continuous onward movement: rowed out into the river's swift current. 3. A general tendency, movement, or course. See Synonyms at tendency. 4. Symbol I Electricity a. A flow of electric charge. b. The amount of electric charge flowing past a specified circuit point per unit time, usually expressed in amperes. [Middle English curraunt, from Old French corant, present participle of courre, to run, from Latin currere; see kers- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] current·ly adv. current·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.