power surge

Sudden electrical overload

A power surge is a sudden spike in electrical voltage that exceeds the normal flow in a circuit.

Surges can damage electronics and appliances, which is why people use surge protectors.

Lightning strikes and utility switching cause dramatic surges, but smaller ones occur routinely: The power surge fried my computer's motherboard.

electrical

transient

Temporary, soon departing

overvoltageExcess electrical pressure
amperageElectrical flow quantity
currentDirected flow of charge

joule · waveform · oscillation · inrush · kilowatt · frequency · AC/DC · impedance · resistance · capacitance

protection

UPS

Raises or elevates

circuit-breakerAutomatic current interrupter
fuseProtective melting wire
varistorVoltage-sensitive resistance element

suppressor · grounding · failsafe

disruption

blackout

Complete power loss

outageLoss of electrical service
tripPlanned travel somewhere
shutdownCessation of operations

reset · flicker · interruption · downtime · reboot · brownout · restart · reconnection

damage

fried

Cooked in hot fat

short-circuitUnintended electrical path
burnoutChronic occupational depletion
overheatedExcessively warm

ruined · compromised · melted · charred · write-off

Categories

powerauthority, potency, energy, hydropower, vigor
electricityelectricity, battery, batteries, wire, wires
energy metaphorsamped, charged, electric, electrified, jolt
malfunctionsbroken, defective, glitch, faulty, error
tech problemsbug, paper jam, low ink, dropped calls, bugs
surgesupsurge

Opposites

electrical flow magnitude

power surgebrownout

Temporary power decrease

voltage drop · undervoltage · low voltage · dimming · sag

electrical continuity

power surgeblackout

Complete power loss

power outage · power failure · power cut · power loss · outage

Family

power, powerful, surge, empower, powerless, powers, overpower, surging, horsepower

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G