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• hertz
  hertz

  noun

  the standard unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one cycle per second. Hz
• Hertz
  Hertz

  noun

  Gustav 1887–1975, German physicist: Nobel Prize 1925.

hertz

¹ American  

[hurts] / hɜrts /

noun

hertz, plural hertzes plural

1. the standard unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one cycle per second. Hz

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Hertz ² American  

[hurts, hairts, herts] / hɜrts, hɛərts, hɛrts /

noun

1. Gustav 1887–1975, German physicist: Nobel Prize 1925.

2. Heinrich Rudolph 1857–94, German physicist.

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hertz ¹ British  

/ hɜːts /

noun

1.  Hz.  the derived SI unit of frequency; the frequency of a periodic phenomenon that has a periodic time of 1 second; 1 cycle per second

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Hertz ² British  

/ hɛrts, hɜːts /

noun

1. Gustav (ˈɡʊstaf). 1887–1975, German atomic physicist. He provided evidence for the quantum theory by his research with Franck on the effects produced by bombarding atoms with electrons: they shared the Nobel prize for physics (1925)

2. Heinrich Rudolph (ˈhainrɪç ˈruːdɔlf). 1857–94, German physicist. He was the first to produce electromagnetic waves artificially

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hertz Scientific  

/ hûrts /

1. The SI derived unit used to measure the frequency of vibrations and waves, such as sound waves and electromagnetic waves. One hertz is equal to one cycle per second. The hertz is named after German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894).

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hertz Cultural  

1. The international unit of frequency: one cycle per second. The abbreviation for hertz is Hz.

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Discover More

Household current (see also current) in the United States is sixty hertz.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Hertzian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hertz
  plural
• hertzes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hertz

First recorded in 1925–30; named after H. R. Hertz

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hertz Hertz

It was supposedly vibrating at something called Schumann resonance, 93.96 hertz, she later explained, a frequency that allegedly helps with immune function and chronic pain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

“Is it true?” one asks Hernandez as she tells them about the 528 hertz sound frequency her father asked her to play while he was dying in the hospital.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025

Hangzhou-based Geely says it has solved that problem in its Galaxy E8 electric sedan, which vibrates at 1.25 hertz — the same as a human heartbeat — when the car is driving on undulating terrain.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2024

Previous research shows that "concert tremor" can be recorded as long-duration signals with narrowband, harmonic frequency peaks between 1 and 10 hertz.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2024

They measure it in hertz, which is how many peaks go by per second.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

The cochlea inside the inner ear naturally creates faint sounds at different frequencies, generally between about 500 and 5000 Hertz.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Hertz says it was an error and refunded the charge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Others may have been exposed if they rode on the Hertz Car Rental Shuttle at LAX, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on July 3.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Former Reddit darling Hertz falls as Wendy’s takes up the meme stock mantle.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

The finbacks, for example, emit extremely loud sounds at a frequency of twenty Hertz, down near the lowest octave on the piano keyboard.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan