watt

noun

\ ˈwät

Definition of watt

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

Watt

biographical name

\ ˈwät

Definition of Watt (Entry 2 of 2)

James 1736–1819 Scottish inventor

Examples of watt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Grace Elizabeth is down right angelic, with her high, prominent cheekbones and mega-watt smile which has brought her not only commercial success but prominence in the world of high fashion. — Chrissy Rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "Exclusive: Grace Elizabeth Is Now a Victoria's Secret Angel," 10 Apr. 2019 Conway’s formula: 16 Lumens equals 1 incandescent watt. — Kathryn O’shea-evans, WSJ, "Goodbye, Showy Chandeliers. Hello, Low-Key Lighting That Transforms Rooms," 25 Jan. 2019 Dreamed up by costume designer Karen Patch, the dress provides a shock of high-watt fabulousness—enough to jolt anyone into a more desirable state. — Vogue, "13 Perfect Rom-Coms to Help With Your Holiday Hangover Right Now," 1 Jan. 2019 At a high level, government and private R&D spending contributed the most to cost-per-watt declines for solar panels since 1980. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "How the falling cost of solar panels can teach us to make new tech affordable," 26 Nov. 2018 Many were bedecked in Boucheron’s high watt wares that dazzled in the light of over a thousand candles light for the occasion. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Jewelry Maison Boucheron Reopens its Place Vendôme Boutique With a Sparkling Dinner," 21 Jan. 2019 Where the processor in your smartphone uses about one watt of power, the power consumption of some of these chips is measured in microwatts—a million times less. — Christopher Mims, WSJ, "Here Comes ‘Smart Dust,’ the Tiny Computers That Pull Power from the Air," 8 Nov. 2018 While a high-end gaming PC often draws up to 500 watts of power, Carmack said the Quest only uses about 5W, a tidbit that should be of benefit to the Quest's still unconfirmed battery-life statistics. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Carmack compares Oculus Quest hardware power to last-gen game consoles," 27 Sep. 2018 The watt balance used to calculate Planck's constant was built by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Can Now Define the Kilogram In Terms of Raw Physics," 22 June 2016

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.

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2 May 2019

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Time Traveler for watt

The first known use of watt was in 1882

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More Definitions for watt

watt

noun

English Language Learners Definition of watt

: a unit for measuring electrical power

See the full definition for watt in the English Language Learners Dictionary

watt

noun

\ ˈwät

Kids Definition of watt

: a unit for measuring electric power

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