In fluid dynamics, dynamic pressure (denoted by q or Q and sometimes called velocity pressure) is the quantity defined by:

where (in SI units):

It can be thought of as the fluid's kinetic energy per unit volume.

For incompressible flow, the dynamic pressure of a fluid is the difference between its total pressure and static pressure. From Bernoulli's law, dynamic pressure is given by

where p₀ and p_s are the total and static pressures, respectively.

Dynamic pressure is the kinetic energy per unit volume of a fluid. Dynamic pressure is one of the terms of Bernoulli's equation, which can be derived from the conservation of energy for a fluid in motion.

At a stagnation point the dynamic pressure is equal to the difference between the stagnation pressure and the static pressure, so the dynamic pressure in a flow field can be measured at a stagnation point.

Another important aspect of dynamic pressure is that, as dimensional analysis shows, the aerodynamic stress (i.e. stress within a structure subject to aerodynamic forces) experienced by an aircraft travelling at speed ${\displaystyle v}$ is proportional to the air density and square of ${\displaystyle v}$, i.e. proportional to ${\displaystyle q}$. Therefore, by looking at the variation of ${\displaystyle q}$ during flight, it is possible to determine how the stress will vary and in particular when it will reach its maximum value. The point of maximum aerodynamic load is often referred to as max q and it is a critical parameter in many applications, such as launch vehicles.