electric field – an invisible area around an electrically charged particle where another particle experiences an attraction or repulsion

To remember the meaning of electric field, use the following mnemonic:

The electric field had an invisible force stopping people from charging into it.

An electric field is a region of space around a charged object where other charged objects will experience a force. Any object with an electrical charge, whether positive or negative, creates an electric field around itself, and the strength of this field decreases with distance from the charge. When another charged object enters this field, it will either be attracted or repelled depending on whether the charges are opposite (which attract) or the same (which repel). Electric fields are represented by field lines that show the direction a positive charge would move if placed in the field - the lines point away from positive charges and toward negative charges. 

The closer together the field lines are in a diagram, the stronger the electric field. 

Understanding electric fields is important because they explain how charged objects interact without touching each other.