Word.ws English Dictionary

return path

return path noun: the route by which a current or signal returns to its source, or to earth.

Noun

return path (plural return paths)

  1. The route by which a current or signal returns to its source, or to earth.
    • The inner, or negative, rail is also known as the 'current return' rail, because electrical current needs a circuit - a return path to earth, in other words.2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 136
    • One rail (known as the traction return rail) is not broken into [track circuit] sections as it provides the return path for the current.2023 November 15, Prof. Jim Wild, “This train was delayed because of bad weather in space”, in RAIL, number 996, pages 30-31

Forms of return path

pluralreturn paths

Questions about return path

What does return path mean?
Return path means the route by which a current or signal returns to its source, or to earth.
What part of speech is return path?
Return path is a noun.
What is the plural of return path?
The plural of return path is return paths.

Words near return path in the dictionary

  1. return match
  2. return matches
  3. return on investment
  4. return pass
  5. return passes
  6. return path
  7. return paths
  8. return piece
  9. return pieces
  10. return shock
  11. return shocks

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: return path (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “return path.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/return_path. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.