horsepower

noun

horse·​pow·​er ˈhȯrs-ˌpau̇(-ə)r 

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 of horsepower

• power
• energy
• strength
• muscle

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

Back in February, my boss Kyle Cheromcha squeezed into racetrack attire and survived a white-knuckle drive in the new Testrossa, courtesy of 1,036 horsepower and a very wet road course. — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 15 July 2026

Arc Sport – 40 mph (64 km/h) The Arc Sport targets the premium wake-sports market with a 500-horsepower electric powertrain producing more than 1,900 lb-ft of torque. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026

Twenty years has seen road bikes hit the 200-plus horsepower mark (310 for the H2R), and the Destroyer made 165 horses and weighed about 110 pounds more. — New Atlas, 13 July 2026

The Topolino's size and price are tiny, but so are its range and horsepower. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing horsepower

• shaft horsepower

Rhymes for horsepower

• candlepower
• cauliflower
• overpower
• superpower
• vavasour
• waterpower
• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• empower
• firepower
• manpower

Kids Definition

horsepower

noun

horse·​pow·​er ˈhȯr-ˌspau̇(-ə)r 

: a unit of power equal in the U.S. to 746 watts and nearly equal to the English unit of the same name that equals 550 foot-pounds of work per second