bandwidth

noun

band·​width ˈband-ˌwidth 

-ˌwitth

1

: a range within a band of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies

especially : a range of radio frequencies which is occupied by a modulated carrier wave, which is assigned to a service, or over which a device can operate

2

: the capacity for data transfer of an electronic communications system

Graphics consume more bandwidth than text does.

especially : the maximum data transfer rate of such a system

a bandwidth of 100 megabits per second

3

: the emotional or mental capacity necessary to do or consider something

I don't have the bandwidth to do it all myself, and I feel like a failure because I'm not living up to my own ideals.

—Frances Lefkowitz

Examples of bandwidth in a Sentence

The modem has a bandwidth of 56 kilobits per second.

Graphics use more bandwidth than text does.

Recent Examples on the Web

But in reality, most of today's cards top out around 900MB per second, roughly the amount of bandwidth available from a single PCI Express 3.0 lane. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2025

But when one client drives your roadmap and eats up your bandwidth, your strategy stops being resilient and starts being reactive. —Jason Bahnak, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

In the developed world, that connection works like this: Internet service providers (ISPs) plug into the nearest backbone via one of several technologies and deliver a small slice of bandwidth to their business and residential customers. —IEEE Spectrum, 6 Aug. 2025

Don’t accept more travel than your bandwidth, or your family, can bear. —Marie Holive, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bandwidth

noun

band·​width ˈband-ˌwidth 

1

: a range of frequencies

2

: the capacity for or rate of data transfer

a high bandwidth Internet connection