circuit breaker

noun

Electricity. Also called breaker. a device for interrupting an electric circuit to prevent excessive current, as that caused by a short circuit, from damaging the apparatus in the circuit or from causing a fire.

any property-tax relief measure that reduces or limits property taxes for certain eligible taxpayers, as those with low income or the elderly.

Origin

1870-75, Americanism

Examples from the web for circuit breaker

By the time a fuse or circuit breaker opens a circuit to defuse these conditions, a fire may already have begun.
Make sure the wiring and devices used in the circuit are connected to a circuit breaker or fuse of the proper size.
Fifty-one minutes later, a circuit breaker on the second transformer burst into flames.
You've got to put a circuit breaker on that thing, or something.
It's called a circuit breaker, and it is supposed to calm the market.
Turn off the circuit breaker on the shore hookup box and connect the electrical power cord to the box.
The trouble may be a short in the plug, a tripped circuit breaker, or a bad surge-protector outlet.
Yes, it should be eliminated or a minimum restricted to those seniors eligible for the circuit breaker program.
People eligible for the circuit breaker program should not be gambling.
Shock-out occurs as a result of shock caused by the circuit breaker cycling from the open position to the closed position.

British Dictionary definitions for circuit breaker

circuit breaker

noun

a device that under abnormal conditions, such as a short circuit, interrupts the flow of current in an electrical circuit Sometimes shortened to breaker Compare fuse² (sense 6)

circuit breaker in Science

circuit breaker
A switch that automatically interrupts the flow of electric current if the current exceeds a preset limit, measured in amperes. Circuit breakers are used most often as a safety precaution where excessive current through a circuit could be hazardous. Unlike fuses, they can usually be reset and reused.