de-energize

American

[dee-en-er-jahyz] / diˈɛn ərˌdʒaɪz /

especially British, de-energise

verb (used with object)

de-energized, de-energizing

to deprive of electrical energy or exhaust the electrical energy from.

Turning off the ignition de-energizes the spark plugs.

de-energize British

/ diːˈɛnəˌdʒaɪz /

verb

(tr) electrical engineering to disconnect (an electrical circuit) from its source

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

de-energization noun

Etymology

Origin of de-energize

First recorded in 1885–90; de- + energize ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The complaint points to the utility’s failure to de-energize its transmission lines that night, as well as its decision to leave up a decommissioned line that hadn’t carried electricity for decades.

From Los Angeles Times

But it did not de-energize the larger transmission lines that carry electricity through the canyon on massive metal towers until well after the Eaton fire broke out.

From Los Angeles Times

Cleanup teams must de-energize and decommission the batteries for proper recycling and disposal.

From Los Angeles Times

For instance, multiple lawsuits allege Edison’s equipment ignited the deadly Eaton fire after the utility failed to de-energize overhead wires during a Jan. 7 wind event.

From Los Angeles Times

Powell said the utility company can only be so precise in how it executes power shutoffs because it can only de-energize at the level of circuits.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023