electrify

/ɪˈlektrɪfaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˈlektrɪfaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /i-ˈlek-trə-ˌfī ē-/ (ame, mw)

electrify — verb

  • electrifypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • electrifieshe / she / it
  • electrifiedpast simple
  • electrifying-ing form

1. to add electrical wiring and equipment to a building, railway line, or machine s

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to add electrical wiring and equipment to a building, railway line, or machine so that it can be powered by electricity instead of other energy sources

例句

The government plans to electrify the main railway line by 2030.

passive: be electrified (of transport infrastructure)

After years of using gas lamps, the village was finally electrified last summer.

passive with time reference

同義詞
  • wire

    more specific: refers only to installing cables, not the full system conversion

  • power

    broader: can mean 'supply energy to' without the sense of converting from a different source

文法句型

electrify + object

be electrified (passive)

用法筆記

Frequently used in the passive (be/become/get electrified) when describing infrastructure projects or regions that receive electricity for the first time. Subject is typically a railway, building, region, factory, or a set of machines.

常見錯誤

❌The train line was electrical last year.
✅The train line was electrified last year.
💡'electrical' is an adjective meaning 'relating to electricity', not a past participle of 'electrify'.

2. When a speaker, performer, or event electrifies a group of people, it produces a

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

When a speaker, performer, or event electrifies a group of people, it produces a sudden, powerful feeling of excitement and energy that spreads through everyone present

例句

When the activist finished her speech, she had electrified everyone in the hall.

electrify + group (crowd / audience / room)

The auditorium was electrified by Defne's final song, with people rising to applaud.

同義詞
  • thrill

    less intense; suggests pleasurable excitement, often from entertainment, without the implication of suddenness

  • excite

    more general and less dramatic; covers any heightened emotion, not necessarily sudden or intense

  • galvanize

    stronger in that it implies the excitement motivates people to take action

  • stir

    gentler; suggests gradual emotional awakening rather than a sudden jolt

反義詞
  • bore

    opposite effect: leaves people uninterested instead of excited

  • dull

    suggests reducing energy and excitement

文法句型

electrify + group / audience / crowd

用法筆記

Object is typically a collective noun referring to a group of people (crowd, audience, nation, room, stadium), not an individual. Common in journalism, speechwriting, and reviews of performances.

常見錯誤

❌The joke electrified him personally.
✅The joke electrified the entire room.
💡'electrify' in this figurative sense works with groups, not single individuals.
❌The concert was very electrifying.
✅The concert electrified the audience.
💡using 'electrifying' as a standalone adjective with 'very' can sound odd; the verb form with a specific object is more natural.