- [only before noun] happening now; of the present time
- The necklace would be worth over $5 000 at current prices.
- the current situation
- Oil prices are expected to remain at current levels.
- What's the budget for the current year?
- Under the current system, the entire process takes about two weeks.
Which Word? actual / current / presentactual / current / present- Actual does not mean current or present. It means ‘real’ or ‘exact’, and is often used in contrast with something that is not seen as real or exact:
- I need the actual figures, not an estimate.
- Present means ‘existing or happening now’:
- How long have you been in your present job?
- Current also means ‘existing or happening now’, but can suggest that the situation is temporary:
- The factory cannot continue its current level of production.
- Actually does not mean ‘at the present time’. Use currently, at present or at the moment instead.
Extra Examples- your current employer
- Our current financial situation is not good.
- What are the current unemployment figures?
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- being used by or accepted by most people
- words that are no longer current
Word OriginMiddle English (in the adjective sense ‘running, flowing’): from Old French corant ‘running’, from courre ‘run’, from Latin currere ‘run’.
Check pronunciation:
current