volt

volt — noun

1. a volt is the basic measure of how much electrical force pushes current through

1.nounB2
Definition

a volt is the basic measure of how much electrical force pushes current through a wire or conductor — for example, a car battery supplies 12 volts to start the engine, and a typical household socket in Taiwan delivers 110 volts.

Example

Sora's flashlight needs a 3-volt battery to produce a bright beam.

attributive: [number]-volt + noun

The volt reading on Gabriel's meter showed that the circuit was dead.

collocation: volt reading

Common collocations
  • high voltage
  • low voltage
  • 9-volt battery
  • 12-volt system
  • volt meter
  • volt reading
  • volt rating

Grammar Patterns

[number] + volt(s)

[number] + -volt + noun

Usage Note

The symbol for volt is V. When the unit appears before a noun as a compound adjective, use a hyphen and the singular form (a 12-volt system, a 9-volt battery). The plural form (volts) is used after numbers when standing alone: 'The battery supplies 9 volts.'

Common Mistakes

This battery has high amps.
This battery has high voltage.
Amps measure current flow; volts measure electrical potential or force.
The outlet provides 110 voltages.
The outlet provides 110 volts.
The word 'voltage' means the measurement, but when stating a specific number, use 'volts' (the unit).

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Volt, amp, watt, and ohm are all electrical units that describe different aspects of electricity, and learners often mix them up. A volt measures the electrical 'push' or potential difference — think of it like the water pressure in a pipe. An amp (ampere) measures the current, or how much electricity is actually flowing — like the volume of water moving through the pipe. A watt measures power, which is the combination of volts and amps (volts × amps = watts). An ohm measures resistance, or how hard it is for the current to flow — like the width of the pipe. For example: a phone charger might use 5 volts at 2 amps, producing 10 watts of power. Confusing volts with watts is the most common mistake among beginners.

ampwatt ↗ohm

Etymology

Italian surnameEnglish

Named after Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), the Italian physicist who invented the first electric battery, known as the Voltaic pile. The unit 'volt' was adopted by the International Electrical Congress in 1881 to honour his work on electricity.