horsepower

[ hawrs-pou-er ]

/ ˈhɔrsˌpaʊ ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR horsepower ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a foot-pound-second unit of power, equivalent to 550 foot-pounds per second, or 745.7 watts.

Informal. the capacity to achieve or produce; strength or talent: The university's history faculty is noted for its intellectual horsepower.

Nearby words

horsemanship, horsemint, horsens, horseplay, horseplayer, horsepower, horsepower-hour, horsepox, horseradish, horseradish peroxidase, horseradish tree

Origin of horsepower

First recorded in 1800–10; horse + power

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for horsepower

In the race to the future, horsepower was losing to gas power, and the city was changing.
‘The Harness Maker’s Dream:’ The Unlikely Ranch King of Texas|Nick Kotz|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They used a 30 horsepower refrigeration unit to keep the wall frozen and spent about $15 a day to power it.
Fukushima N-Plant Will Be Surrounded by a Wall of Ice|Josh Dzieza|September 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It cruises at 43 miles per hour and has about a 10 horsepower engine, no larger than the Wright brothers' original vessel.
Solar Plane That Can Fly Day and Night Takes Off|Miranda Green|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the end, though, it usually comes down to an irresistible urge to combine a love of feet with a love of horsepower, says Block.
The Red State Sex Fetish|Anneli Rufus|March 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Perhaps you don't realize that there's a five horsepower motor running that?
Mr. Hawkins' Humorous Adventures|Edgar Franklin
About how many pounds of water are required to yield one horsepower with our best engines?
Farm Engines and How to Run Them|James H. Stephenson
Therefore our engineers "stepped up" the power of the Liberty 12-cylinder engine to 375 horsepower.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell
When used to it, one man can easily start any gasoline engine up to 15 horsepower.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them|James H. Stephenson
Now think of the aeroplane motor that has fourteen cylinders and develops 140 horsepower!
The Boy's Book of New Inventions|Harry E. Maule

British Dictionary definitions for horsepower

horsepower

/ (ˈhɔːsˌpaʊə) /

noun

an fps unit of power, equal to 550 foot-pounds per second (equivalent to 745.7 watts)

a US standard unit of power, equal to 746 watts

Abbreviation: HP, h.p

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for horsepower

horsepower

[ hôrs′pou′ər ]

A unit that is used to measure the power of engines and motors. One unit of horsepower is equal to the power needed to lift 550 pounds one foot in one second. This unit has been widely replaced by the watt in scientific usage; one horsepower is equal to 745.7 watts.

Culture definitions for horsepower

horsepower

A unit of power equal to about 746 watts.

Note

The horsepower is used to measure the power of engines.

Note

This term was coined by James Watt, who invented a new type of steam engine in the eighteenth century. Watt found that the horse could do a certain amount of work per second; when he sold his steam engines, this measurement allowed him to estimate the worth of an engine in terms of the number of horses it would replace. Therefore, a six-horsepower engine was capable of replacing six horses.