watt

[ wot ]

/ wɒt /

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noun

the standard unit of power in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one joule per second and equal to the power in a circuit in which a current of one ampere flows across a potential difference of one volt. Abbreviation: W, w.

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Origin of watt

First recorded in 1882; named after J. Watt

Words nearby watt

Watson-Crick rules, watsonia, Watsonville, Watson-Watt, Watson-Wentworth, watt, wattage, Watteau, Watteau back, Wattenscheid, watter

Other definitions for watt (2 of 2)

Watt

[ wot ]

/ wɒt /

noun

James, 1736–1819, Scottish engineer and inventor.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use watt in a sentence

Watt had reported to the Steelers for training camp, avoiding mandatory daily fines of $50,000 that would have accompanied a holdout.
Steelers’ T.J. Watt gets his mega-deal, becomes NFL’s highest-paid defensive player|Mark Maske|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
Watt led the league with 15 sacks last season and finished second to Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald in voting for the NFL’s defensive player of the year award.
Steelers’ T.J. Watt gets his mega-deal, becomes NFL’s highest-paid defensive player|Mark Maske|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
Watt thanked the team and expressed his affection for Texans fans.
J.J. Watt will be released by Houston Texans at his request|Mark Maske|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
The M1 claims to have the record for best CPU performance per watt.
Follow along with Apple’s last 2020 product announcement event|Stan Horaczek|November 10, 2020|Popular-Science

Watt didn’t score in the semifinal but contributed in a massive way on the defensive end.
The NWSL Is About To Crown A Brand-New Champion|Bria Felicien|July 24, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Watt never did anything to regain his position, although it bothered him for the rest of his life.
In 2005, ‘Iowa Nice’ Ernst Helped to Oust Veterans From Local Board After They Opposed Her Candidacy|Ben Jacobs|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not really, according to Andrew Watt, the president and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
#IceBucketChallenge Wisdom From 'Jackass' Steve-O|Kevin Zawacki|August 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was a beautiful child, sweet natured, affectionate, with cocoa-colored skin and a thousand-watt smile.
The Cost: What Stop and Frisk Does to a Young Man’s Soul|Rilla Askew|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Blanche was a fragile white moth beating against the unbreakable sides of a 1000 watt bulb.
Elia Kazan to Tennessee Williams: You Gotta Suffer to Sing the Blues|Elia Kazan|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A potential sociopath with a hundred-watt smile, Bob is essentially Don Draper 2.0, except totally different.
Where ‘Mad Men’ Left Off: A Primer for Season Seven|Amy Zimmerman|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The statue in Ratcliffe Place was subscribed for in 1867, and the figure is very like the portrait of Watt.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Watt's first pumping engine was started at Bloomfield Colliery, March 8, 1776.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
The cost of erection and the consumption of coal are not above one-third of a Boulton and Watt's, to perform the same work.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Its first cost and expense in working to be much less than that of the Watt low-pressure steam vacuum engine.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
People used to say that she forked the mine better than two of Boulton and Watt's 80-inch cylinder engines.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for watt (1 of 2)

watt

/ (wɒt) /

noun

the derived SI unit of power, equal to 1 joule per second; the power dissipated by a current of 1 ampere flowing across a potential difference of 1 volt. 1 watt is equivalent to 1.341 × 10 –3 horsepowerSymbol: W

Word Origin for watt

C19: named after James Watt

British Dictionary definitions for watt (2 of 2)

Watt

/ (wɒt) /

noun

James. 1736–1819, Scottish engineer and inventor. His fundamental improvements to the steam engine led to the widespread use of steam power in industry

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

Scientific definitions for watt (1 of 2)

watt

[ wŏt ]

The SI derived unit used to measure power, equal to one joule per second. In electricity, a watt is equal to current (in amperes) multiplied by voltage (in volts).

Scientific definitions for watt (2 of 2)

Watt

James 1736-1819

British engineer and inventor who patented a much improved version of the steam engine (1769) and devised the unit of horsepower. The watt unit of power is named for him.

Cultural definitions for watt

watt

The basic unit of power, named after the eighteenth-century Scottish inventor James Watt.