watt

noun

ˈwät 

: the absolute meter-kilogram-second unit of power equal to the work done at the rate of one joule per second or to the power produced by a current of one ampere across a potential difference of one volt : 1/746 horsepower

Examples of watt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Experts are striving to match the astonishing power efficiency of the human brain, which operates on under 20 watts while performing the equivalent of one billion mathematical operations per second. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Dec. 2025

By the early 1930s, country music’s most popular radio show, the Grand Ole Opry, was heard across the southeast emanating from WSM’s 50-thousand-watt radio tower in Nashville, Tennessee. —Time, 6 Dec. 2025

The researchers found one of Microsoft’s Phi 4 reasoning models used 9,462 watt hours with reasoning turned on, compared with about 18 watt hours with it off. —Rachel Metz, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025

Those blurred lines bedevil an e-bike classification system adopted, in part or full, by nearly all states, in which e-bike motors generally must operate at 750 watts or lower. —Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

James Watt †1819

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing watt

• watt-hour

Rhymes for watt

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• dot
• fought

Kids Definition

watt

noun

ˈwät 

: a unit of power equal to the work done at the rate of one joule per second

Etymology

named for James Watt 1736–1819 Scottish engineer

Medical Definition

watt

noun

ˈwät 

: the absolute mks unit of power equal to the work done at the rate of one joule per second or to the power produced by a current of one ampere across a potential difference of one volt : ¹/₇₄₆ horsepower

Biographical Definition

Watt

biographical name

ˈwät 

James 1736–1819 Scottish inventor