horsepower

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

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

See horsepower defined for English-language learners

See horsepower defined for kids

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

If Woodinville were an automobile, let’s just say coach Maxwell is excited to lift the hood and show off some major horsepower.

— matt massey, The Seattle Times, "Kingco 4A Preview: Nash Fouch, Woodinville look poised for title repeat," 27 Aug. 2017
A 6 meter long, 750 horsepower, electric convertible, the Vision 6 is indeed only a vision.

— Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 21 Aug. 2017
This has the more powerful of Hyundai’s two engines, a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4, which generates 240 horsepower and a torque rating of 260.

— mark savage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Savage on Wheels: 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T ULT AWD," 15 Aug. 2017
In 1995, the Dream Cruise's inaugural year, the top-performing Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R was noteworthy for its 300 horsepower 5.8-liter V8.

— terry troy, cleveland.com, "New Mustang on display during Woodward Dream Cruise," 30 July 2017
The standard engine is a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder providing 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque.

— tom voelk, New York Times, "Video Review: With Tough Competition, Chevrolet Equinox Holds Its Own," 13 July 2017
The frisky, 467 horsepower RC F, which debuted in 2015, continues to sell briskly to the cognoscenti who want performance as well as comfort.

— star-telegram, star-telegram.com, "An Exuberant Spirit: The all-new Lexus LC 500 exudes luxurious edginess," 5 July 2017
Take, for instance, the LaFerrari — a hybrid with 949 horsepower and 663 pound feet of torque.

— Detroit Free Press, "Onslaught of hybrids and EVs are on their way despite low gas prices," 5 July 2017
The brake stand around the ATL Twins was difficult because the Hellcat has so much horsepower.

— jon wilde, GQ, "Ansel Elgort is Baby Driver, but He Can Drive Like a Man," 30 June 2017

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.