kilo

1 of 3

noun

ki·​lo ˈkē-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce kilo (audio)
also
ˈki- How to pronounce kilo (audio)
plural kilos
: a unit of mass or weight equaling one thousand grams or approximately 2.2 pounds : kilogram
Each sack weighs 50 kilos.
Did you know … that it takes a lobster between five and seven years to grow to a weight of half a kilo, the minimum size it should reach before being fished?Food & Drink
When he finally strips off the kilos of gold enveloping his body, Deion is as light as a feather.Curry Kirkpatrick
Gathering in Versailles, west of Paris, governments are expected on Friday to approve plans to instead use a scientific formulation to define the exact mass of a kilo.John Leicester

Kilo

2 of 3

communications code word

used as a code word for the letter k

kilo-

3 of 3

combining form

: thousand
kiloton

Examples of kilo 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.
Noun
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday that authorities have made one of the biggest fentanyl busts in U.S. history with the seizure of 11.5 kilos of the drug, including 3 million pills. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2025 Our server told us that some 90 kilos of the mother mole was flown to L.A. from Mexico City. Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025 More: Narco-submarine crew arrested in plot to ferry thousands of kilos of coke on the high seas Narco-subs and fishermen spies Corrupting authorities responsible for finding drug traffickers is just one of the many ways smugglers aim to bring cocaine to the U.S. undetected by law enforcement. Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025 The report also recognized that international regulation had not eliminated the trade of fentanyl precursors, noting U.S. seizures of more than 650 kilos of precursors not under international control in 2023. William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for kilo

Word History

Etymology

Combining form

French, modification of Greek chilioi

First Known Use

Noun

1870, in the meaning defined above

Communications Code Word

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kilo was in 1870

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kilo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilo. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

kilo

1 of 2 noun
ki·​lo ˈkē-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce kilo (audio)
plural kilos

kilo-

2 of 2 combining form
: thousand
kiloton
Etymology

Combining form

derived from Greek chilioi "thousand"

More from Merriam-Webster on kilo

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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