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 Each of the United States’ 14 Ohio-class submarines carries 20 ballistic missiles, with each missile carrying up to eight warheads, almost all of which have a yield of 90 kilotons or 455 kilotons. Charles L. Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2023 Two bombs represent one ton of TNT, or .001 kilotons. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 25 July 2023 Oppenheimer’s little Hiroshima bomb had an explosive power of 15 kilotons—or 15 thousand tons of TNT. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 29 Jan. 2024 Melin estimates that the United States will have about 80 metric kilotons of Li-ion batteries to recycle in 2030, while Europe will have 132 metric kilotons. IEEE Spectrum, 5 Jan. 2021 The plant will have an eventual capacity of 25 metric kilotons of input material, recovering 95 percent or more of the cobalt, nickel, lithium, and other valuable elements through the company’s zero-wastewater, zero-emissions process. IEEE Spectrum, 5 Jan. 2021 Some residents are battling cancer more than 70 years after Trinity test. 8:30 ABC News The Trinity Test, the detonation of the first atomic bomb in 1945, was a technical success -- the gadget, as it was codenamed, generated 18 kilotons of force, and the explosion set off the nuclear age. Maria Elena Salinas, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2023 By comparison, the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima produced just 20 kilotons. Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023 Increases in weapons’ explosive power required the creation of new metrics: from kilotons (equivalent to the energy released by 1,000 tons of TNT) for the original fission weapons to megatons (equivalent to that released by one million tons) for hydrogen fusion bombs. Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kiloton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kiloton was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near kiloton

Cite this Entry

“Kiloton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kiloton. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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