<p>The nucleophile can be oxidized by electrophilic intermediates generated on electrocatalysts under the oxidation potential, and nucleophile oxidation reaction (NOR) has attracted extensive attention in the fields of coupling hydrogen production and organic electrosynthesis. Given that NOR involves electrocatalysis and organic chemistry, the development of this cross-disciplinary field requires a close multi-disciplinary collaboration. Although numerous studies about NOR have sprung up, researchers cannot agree on the NOR mechanism, let alone on utilizing the NOR mechanism. Hence, critically reviewing past works is crucial to establishing a unified conclusion for the NOR mechanism. This review concludes the current progress of NOR and proposes a unified NOR mechanism, which offers guidance and inspiration to subsequent studies of NOR. Firstly, we summarize the adjustable NOR systems, including multiple high-efficiency NOR electrocatalysts and numerous substrate/product systems. Secondly, we discuss the NOR mechanism involving an electrochemical step and a spontaneous non-electrochemical process, and propose the connection between the non-electrochemical process and the nucleophile oxidation pathway. Thirdly, we highlight the design principle of highly effective NOR electrocatalysts based on the NOR mechanism. Finally, several critical issues for the future development of NOR are presented.</p>