short-circuit

Verb

short circuit (third-person singular simple present short circuits, present participle short circuiting, simple past and past participle short circuited)

1. (transitive) To cause a short circuit in.
   • In the motor control room aft, a crewman crashed against the main electrical switchboard, short-circuiting it with his body, and all power aboard was lost.1984, Tom Clancy, “The Eighth Day: Friday, 10 December”, in The Hunt for Red October, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, →ISBN, page 193
2. (intransitive) To undergo a short circuit.

   Synonyms:

   short out

3. (broadly, transitive) To force termination of an ongoing process before its natural conclusion, by bypassing one or more intermediary steps.
   • [H]is temporarily successful attempt to smear Redfield is an effort to short-circuit the narrative into premature and mistaken resolution.1998, Catherine Nickerson, The Web of Iniquity
4. (broadly, transitive) To impede or disrupt.
   • At times, the Knicks’ offense looked short-circuited. Anthony, despite his cold hand, kept shooting. / “They all feel good, to be honest with you,” Anthony said. “It wasn’t long, it wasn’t short, they were bouncing off the rim, they were chippers, the same shot I hit all the time so I can’t stop...2016 November 28, Mike Vorkunov, “Despite Flash of Rose’s Prime, Knicks Are Dazed by Westbrook and Thunder”, in The New York Times
5. (transitive) To bypass, especially by overhastiness.
   • By insisting that "style" is the only way to exert your undeserving self upon the world these books short-circuit the chance for, and even the need for, the possibility of change in the lives of people or the culture.1982 February 6, Michael Bronski, “A Very Stale Crisp”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 28, page 11
6. (transitive) To terminate a loop before the declared termination condition is met, or a conditional before all conditions have been tested for.
   • For example, to short-circuit the "LoggedIn()" or "LogIn()" "if" conditional, replace the "Or" with "OrElse" and the statement is interpreted to mean "if not logged in, then log in".2002, Paul Kimmel, Visual Basic.Net Unleashed

See all 8 meanings of short circuit