electrify

/ɪˈlɛktrəˌfɑɪ/

Other forms: electrified; electrifying; electrifies

Electrify means to make something electric — either literally or figuratively. You can electrify a house by wiring it so the occupants will have lights, or you can electrify a boring party by getting everyone laughing.

A captivating person might electrify every room she enters. Maybe it’s her laugh, maybe it’s the way she talks with her hands, maybe it’s the zany scarves she wears. Something about her gets everyone going. In a related sense, electrify can also describe what the electrician does to a house — she wires it so that the lights, computers, and television can all be plugged in and operate properly.

Definitions of electrify

1. verb

   equip for use with electricity
   “electrify an appliance”

   synonyms: wire

   type of:

   accommodate, adapt

   make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose
2. verb

   charge (a conductor) with electricity
   type of:

   fill, fill up, make full

   make full, also in a metaphorical sense
3. verb

   excite suddenly and intensely
   “The news electrified us”

   type of:

   agitate, charge, charge up, commove, excite, rouse, turn on

   cause to be agitated, excited, or roused