brake horsepower

American  

noun

1. the horsepower made available by an engine or turbine for driving machinery other than itself, as measured by a dynamometer.

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brake horsepower British  

noun

1.  bhp.  the rate at which an engine does work, expressed in horsepower. It is measured by the resistance of an applied brake

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How does brake-horsepower compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• brake horsepower vs. horsepower

Example Sentences

The driver had also told police his Evo sports car had 330 brake horsepower but Tregonning told the Accelerate YouTube channel that he had souped it up to almost 900 brake horsepower.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025

Examples of the Renault 5 Turbo Group B, capable of a monstrous 300 brake horsepower, sold for €195,500 at Bonhams, €257,600 at RM Sotheby’s and €321,840 at Artcurial.

From New York Times • Feb. 17, 2017

Formula One is mulling an engine overhaul, with an increase in output to 1,000 brake horsepower to make cars harder to drive and more impressive.

From Reuters • May 8, 2015

Not to mention the fact that we still measure the oomph of a Porsche 911 in, er, brake horsepower.

From The Guardian • Feb. 10, 2013

A later development of the Green engine was a six-cylindered vertical, cylinder dimensions being 5.5 inch diameter by 6 inch stroke, developing 120 brake horsepower when running at 1,250 revolutions per minute.

From A History of Aeronautics by Vivian, Evelyn Charles