kilobit

noun

ki·​lo·​bit
ˈki-lə-ˌbit, 
ˈkē-lə- How to pronounce kilobit (audio)
1
: 1000 bits
2
: 1024 bits

Examples of kilobit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Past 150 kilometers, its satellite link drops to roughly 50 kilobits per second—not enough bandwidth to stream a single second of usable video. — Krish Kumar, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Current underwater acoustic modems, for instance, can transmit and receive signals across tens of kilometers distance—though only at the meager bit rate of a few kilobits per second. — IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2025 At its height, a dial-up connection could manage up to 56 kilobits per second under ideal conditions, according to Apple Insider. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 30 Sep. 2025 The relic of the early internet age has been mostly replaced by high-speed broadband, which can be thousands of times faster than the top dialup speed of 56 kilobits a second in ideal conditions. — David Matthews, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for kilobit

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kilobit was in 1961

Browse Nearby Words

kilobaud
kilobit
kilobyte
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kilobit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilobit. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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