horsepower

horse·pow·er

noun \ˈhȯrs-ˌpau̇(-ə)r\

Definition of HORSEPOWER

1

: the power that a horse exerts in pulling

2

: a unit of power equal in the United States to 746 watts and nearly equivalent to the English gravitational unit of the same name that equals 550 foot-pounds of work per second

3

: effective power <intellectual horsepower> <computing horsepower>

Examples of HORSEPOWER

1. an engine with 200 horsepower
2. <that architectural firm probably doesn't have the creative horsepower to produce a truly innovative design>

First Known Use of HORSEPOWER

1806

Related to HORSEPOWER

Synonyms

energy, firepower, force, power, might, muscle, potence, potency, puissance, sinew, strength, vigor

Antonyms

impotence, impotency, powerlessness, weakness

Related Words

aptitude, capability, capacity, competence, competency; adequacy, effectiveness, effectualness, usefulness

Near Antonyms

disability, inability, inaptitude, incapability, incapableness, incapacity, incompetence, incompetency; ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficaciousness, inefficacy, uselessness; helplessness, paralysis

Rhymes with HORSEPOWER

bell tower, black power, disk flower, fire tower, great power, Great Stour, half hour, H hour, ray flower, rush hour, sea power, state flower, war power, world power

horsepower

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Common unit of power, the rate at which work is done. In the English system, one horsepower equals 33,000 foot-pounds of work per minute—that is, the power necessary to lift a total of 33,000 lbs a distance of one foot in one minute. This value was adopted by James Watt in the late 18th century after experiments with strong dray horses and is actually about 50% more than the rate an average horse can sustain for a working day. The electrical equivalent of one horsepower is 746 watts in the International System of Units; the heat equivalent is 2,545 BTU per hour. The metric horsepower (see metric system) equals 4,500 kg-m per minute (32,549 foot-pounds per minute), or 0.9863 horsepower.