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
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The frisky, 467 horsepower RC F, which debuted in 2015, continues to sell briskly to the cognoscenti who want performance as well as comfort.
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Take, for instance, the LaFerrari — a hybrid with 949 horsepower and 663 pound feet of torque.
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The boat was powered by a 4 ½ horsepower engine that was concealed underneath a steel swan.
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The story behind the story: Mainstream graphics card prices are skyrocketing due to pricing bubbles for cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Zcash, which rely on GPU horsepower to operate.
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The T5 is a 2-liter, turbocharged four that develops 250 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque.
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The district is also investigating the possible purchase of Tier IV locomotives, which are quieter, have more horsepower and produce fewer emissions than the locomotives.
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The tiniest 125cc sport bike has a single-cylinder four-stroke engine that pumps its approximate 10 horsepower through a four-speed transmission.
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The new, smaller engine generates more power than the bigger, heavier V8 — 450 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque.
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
playDefinition of horsepower for English Language Learners
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: a unit used to measure the power of engines
HORSEPOWER Defined for Kids
horsepower
playDefinition 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
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See words that rhyme with horsepower Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for 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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