kilo

1 of 3

noun

ki·​lo ˈkē-(ˌ)lō 

also

ˈki- 

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

Noun

My body was breaking down, thinning from seventy-three kilos to a fragile sixty, losing not only strength but the essential nutrients Lya needed from my milk. —Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025

With a daintiness at odds with its 120 kilos, the bear extricates its wrist from the tie and calmly takes its leave. —Ganesh Marín, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025

Plus, this one reads both kilos and pounds. —Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025

Vince then flew to Las Vegas and met Roberto to pay him $195,000 to settle his most recent drug debt and arrange a future deal involving multiple kilos of marijuana. —Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for kilo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

kilo

1 of 2 noun

ki·​lo ˈkē-(ˌ)lō 

plural kilos

: kilogram

kilo-

2 of 2 combining form

: thousand

kiloton

Etymology

Combining form

derived from Greek chilioi "thousand"