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horsepower

noun horse·pow·er \ ˈhȯrs-ˌpau̇(-ə)r \
|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of horsepower

1 : the power that a horse exerts in pulling
2 : a unit of power equal in the U.S. 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

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Examples of horsepower in a Sentence

  1. an engine with 200 horsepower

  2. that architectural firm probably doesn't have the creative horsepower to produce a truly innovative design

Recent Examples of horsepower from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'horsepower.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of horsepower

1806

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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HORSEPOWER Defined for English Language Learners

horsepower

noun

Definition of horsepower for English Language Learners

  • : a unit used to measure the power of engines

HORSEPOWER Defined for Kids

horsepower

noun horse·pow·er \ ˈhȯrs-ˌpau̇-ər \

Definition of horsepower for Students

: a unit of power that equals the work done in lifting 550 pounds one foot in one second

Learn More about horsepower

  1. See words that rhyme with horsepower Spanish Central: Translation of horsepower Nglish: Translation of horsepower for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of horsepower for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about horsepower

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