watt

noun \ ˈwät \

Definition of watt

: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

See watt defined for English-language learners

See watt defined for kids

Recent Examples of watt from the Web

Headphones have small transducers that run at power levels measured in milliwatts; speakers have large transducers that run at power levels measured in watts.

— rene chun, WIRED, "Review: Master & Dynamic MA770," 12 July 2017
That resulted in 18.5 megawatts of production, or 198 solar watts per customer.

— kevin spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando's new solar plant takes shape as Florida's solar energy erupts," 5 July 2017
Florida’s largest by far with 4.9 million customers and the nation’s third largest – will have 130 solar watts per customer by the end of the year.

— kevin spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando's new solar plant takes shape as Florida's solar energy erupts," 5 July 2017
Its motor produces 2000 watts of power, which is transferred to each rear wheel by a belt drive system.

— timothy dahl, Popular Mechanics, "The Boosted Electric Skateboard Is Better Than Just Fun—It's Useful," 23 June 2017
The testing will cover a 30- and 10-meter sprint, medicine ball toss, vertical jump and a watt bike test.

— anthony sorci, sacbee.com, "Think you’re an Olympic athlete? Test your mettle in Folsom, online," 23 June 2017
Each pulse from ChemCam’s laser delivers more than 1 million watts of power.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "The Mars Robot Making Decisions on Its Own," 23 June 2017
After falling for years, panel prices have climbed to between 41 and 43 cents per watt, from 35 to 39 cents a month ago, Meikle said.

— joe ryan, Bloomberg.com, "Panel Makers Surge After Trump Proposes Solar on Border Wall," 22 June 2017
For instance, the critique asserts that Jacobson assumed that hydroelectric dams would have the capacity to generate over 1,000 gigawatts, or billion watts, of electricity, vastly more than exists today.

— chris mooney, chicagotribune.com, "Bitter scientific debate erupts over the future of America's power grid," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'watt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of watt

James Watt †1819

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1882

See Words from the same year

Watt

biographical name \ ˈwät \

Definition of Watt

James 1736–1819 Scottish inventor

WATT Defined for English Language Learners

watt

noun

Definition of watt for English Language Learners

: a unit for measuring electrical power

WATT Defined for Kids

watt

noun \ ˈwät \

Definition of watt for Students

:a unit for measuring electric power

Medical Dictionary

watt

noun \ ˈwät \

medical Definition of watt

: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 Note for watt

Watt, James (1736–1819), British engineer and inventor. Watt's steam engine played a major role in the coming of the Industrial Revolution and came to be used in paper mills, flour mills, cotton mills, iron mills, distilleries, canals, and waterworks. At the end of the 19th century the International Electrical Congress named the watt, the unit of electrical power, in his honor.