hertz

¹ American  

[hurts] / hɜrts /

noun

plural

hertz, hertzes

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  

/ 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 ² 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 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

• Hertzian adjective

Etymology

Origin of hertz

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

Example Sentences

The results showed that the turtles were most sensitive to sounds around 300 hertz, with hearing ability decreasing at higher frequencies.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2026

But this one had a special addition of LED lights and ‘chakra-aligning’ gemstones that Vargas claimed pulsed at 4 hertz — a frequency she said that’s meant to help the immune system.

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

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