Electric means powered by electricity or relating to electricity. An electric car runs on batteries instead of gasoline, and an electric guitar needs to be plugged into an amplifier to make sound. Your home is filled with electric devices: lights, refrigerators, computers, and countless other machines that draw power from outlets in the walls.

Electricity itself is the flow of tiny particles called electrons through wires and circuits. When you flip a light switch, you're completing an electric circuit that allows electrons to flow through the bulb, making it glow. This invisible force powers modern civilization. Before electric power became common in the early 1900s, people relied on candles, oil lamps, and manual labor for tasks we now accomplish instantly with electric devices.

The word can also describe something thrilling or energizing, like an electric atmosphere at a championship game. When a performance creates an electric feeling in the audience, everyone feels charged up and excited, as if energy is crackling through the room. A speaker might deliver an electric speech that makes people jump to their feet and cheer.

Scientists use electrical when describing technical aspects, like “electrical engineering” or “electrical current.” But for everyday things, we usually say electric: electric blankets, electric toothbrushes, electric bills.