horsepower

noun horse·pow·er \ ˈhȯrs-ˌpau̇(-ə)r \

Updated on: 22 Apr 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

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

Recent Examples of horsepower from the Web

In its report, ALEA issued a reminder that all boats under 24 feet in length and having more than 50 horsepower are required to have a kill switch.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Victim identified in fatal bass boat collision," 1 Apr. 2018
The Abarth, which promises 160 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque, already had the turbo engine standard.

— eric d. lawrence, Detroit Free Press, "Fiat 500 gets sportier look, standard turbo engine," 12 Feb. 2018
Limited and Ultimate models get the 1.6-liter turbo, rated at 175 horsepower and 195 foot-pounds of torque.

— g. chambers williams iii, star-telegram, "All-new Kona small crossover joins Hyundai lineup, starting at $19,500 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 31 Mar. 2018
The big change with this car—unveiled this week at the New York International Auto Show—is under the hood, where Jag swapped in a supercharged, 5-liter V8 with 550 horsepower.

— alex davies, WIRED, "Jaguar's New F-Pace SUV Is Fast, Sporty, and Expensive," 29 Mar. 2018
Lifting their front wheels on takeoff, the cars leave the virtual starting line with the slam-you-in-the-seat G-forces of the acceleration wrought by the Demon’s 808 horsepower.

— paul stenquist, New York Times, "Virtual Reality Is Carmakers’ Latest Selling Tool, at Shows and in Showrooms," 29 Mar. 2018
Our test car is the technology flagship, a plug-in electric hybrid with 400 net system horsepower, a 10.4 kWh battery pack, two electric motors and an all-electric range of 21 miles, officially.

— dan neil, WSJ, "Volvo S90 T8: Luxury, Thy Name is No Longer Lincoln," 9 Mar. 2018
Ford isn’t yet releasing horsepower, fuel economy, payload or towing capacity.

— dee-ann durbin, The Seattle Times, "After 8-year hiatus, Ford Ranger returns to US in 2019," 14 Jan. 2018
The car was also supposed to have a new Quaife limited-slip rear differential, since Infiniti quickly concluded that open diffs weren't going to cut it with 560 horsepower, all-wheel-drive or not.

— ezra dyer, Popular Mechanics, "What Happens When You Drop Godzilla's Guts Into an Infiniti," 24 July 2014

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

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

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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