joule
noun
ˈjül 
also nonstandard
ˈjau̇(-ə)l : a unit of work or energy equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through a distance of one meter
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web One joule is about the amount of electricity used to light a one-watt LED for one second. 
Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 28 June 2022 The sievert is a unit that measures the amount of radiation absorbed by a person—while accounting for the type of radiation and its impact on particular organs and tissues in the body—and is equivalent to one joule of energy per kilogram of mass. Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 14 July 2021 So that gives you a rough feeling for the amount of energy in a joule. Rhett Allain, Wired, 13 Apr. 2021 Not 17 times as much energy, but 172 times more, or 2.8 x 1013 joules. Rhett Allain, Wired, 26 May 2020 Those include firearms with a gun barrel diameter of more than 20 mm and weapons with a muzzle energy of more than 10,000 joules. Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2020 There were no standard units of electricity back then, but modern estimates indicate that a pint-sized Leyden jar would have had the energy of about 1 joule. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 28 Nov. 2019 The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 23 Dec. 2019 Goff estimates the kinetic energy, or energy that results via any form of motion, from a 100-mph line drive to be about 145 joules. Neil Greenberg, courant.com, 5 June 2019 See More
Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 28 June 2022 The sievert is a unit that measures the amount of radiation absorbed by a person—while accounting for the type of radiation and its impact on particular organs and tissues in the body—and is equivalent to one joule of energy per kilogram of mass. Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 14 July 2021 So that gives you a rough feeling for the amount of energy in a joule. Rhett Allain, Wired, 13 Apr. 2021 Not 17 times as much energy, but 172 times more, or 2.8 x 1013 joules. Rhett Allain, Wired, 26 May 2020 Those include firearms with a gun barrel diameter of more than 20 mm and weapons with a muzzle energy of more than 10,000 joules. Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2020 There were no standard units of electricity back then, but modern estimates indicate that a pint-sized Leyden jar would have had the energy of about 1 joule. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 28 Nov. 2019 The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 23 Dec. 2019 Goff estimates the kinetic energy, or energy that results via any form of motion, from a 100-mph line drive to be about 145 joules. Neil Greenberg, courant.com, 5 June 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
James P. Joule
First Known Use
1882, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
joule
noun
ˈjü(ə)l
: a unit of work or energy equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through a distance of one meter
Biographical Definition
Joule
biographical name
ˈjül
James Prescott 1818–1889 English physicist