horsepower

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

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about 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 on the Web

The new Chevy engine dominates in the numbers with its 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. — Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, "How Does the Chevrolet Silverado's New Duramax Turbo-Diesel Engine Compare against Ford and Ram?," 3 June 2019 The Supra is a light car, less than 3,400 pounds, with the BMW six's 335 horsepower (and 365 lb-ft of torque) running through the ubiquitous and utterly competent ZF8 automatic. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "With the 2020 GR Supra, Toyota Gets In Touch With Its Fun Side," 12 May 2019 But Getting enough horsepower to do cutting-edge VR into a headset like Oculus wants is a tall order, and HTC's approach should make first-rate wireless VR possible much, much sooner, using most of the same gear that's already out there. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Top-Tier Virtual Reality Is Finally Losing the Wires," 8 Jan. 2018 The custom exhaust dates to early 2019, and an ECUMaster digital engine tuner helps to dial in performance. Clocked on a dyno, the mods conspire to produce 476 horsepower and more than 600 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. — Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, "1988 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Callaway Twin-Turbo Four-Speed Is a High-Performance Love Letter from the '80s," 15 May 2019 But with the 30-something bump in horsepower and extra 50 lb-ft of torque, the Zero is quicker off the line: 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, besting a stock E-Type by about a second. — WSJ, "1968 Jaguar E-Type Zero: Revamping the Vintage Roadster as an Electric Car," 5 Oct. 2018 The all-new turbocharged boxer four cylinder engine makes 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, good enough to tow 5,000 pounds, according to Subaru. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Subaru climbs into 3-row class with 2019 Ascent," 26 June 2018 Under the hood is a 1.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder gasoline engine with 73 horsepower and 82 foot-pounds of torque, combined with a 60-horsepower electric motor. — G. Chambers Williams Iii, Houston Chronicle, "COMPACT," 13 July 2018 With 12,000 horsepower, the ship could travel at a maximum 22.5 knots, ideal for ocean-going diplomacy. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "The Story Behind the Royal Family's Yacht, Britannia," 30 Sep. 2018

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.