kiloton

noun

ki·​lo·​ton ˈki-lə-ˌtən How to pronounce kiloton (audio)
ˈkē-lə-
also -ˌtän
1
: 1000 tons
2
: an explosive force equivalent to that of 1000 tons of TNT

Examples of kiloton 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.
The Super-Kamiokande experiment, an enormous 110 million-pound (50-kiloton) vessel of ultrapure water buried under a mountain in Japan, discovered in 1998 that neutrinos produced in the atmosphere were oscillating. — Doug Cowen, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026 The researchers estimate that worldwide demand for rare earth minerals will increase from 91 kilotons in 2024 to 123 kilotons in 2030 and 150 kilotons in 2040. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 28 June 2026 The Trinity test, conducted as part of the Manhattan Project in the New Mexico desert, detonated a plutonium bomb that released the energy of 25 kilotons of TNT. — Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 11 May 2026 Joyce Li, commodities strategist at Macquarie Group, told CNBC over email that their base case before the attacks assumed a cut to the current running capacity of approximately 20%, which amounts to roughly 800 to 900 kilotons of production loss in 2026. — Joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for kiloton

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kiloton was in 1950

Rhymes for kiloton

See All Rhymes for kiloton

Browse Nearby Words

kilorad
kiloton
kilovar
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kiloton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kiloton. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

kiloton

noun
ki·​lo·​ton ˈkil-ə-ˌtən How to pronounce kiloton (audio)
ˈkē-lə-
also -ˌtän
1
: 1000 tons
2
: an explosive force equivalent to that of 1000 tons of TNT

More from Merriam-Webster on kiloton

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kiloton

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All