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

Much of its growth came from SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker and a leading supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in artificial intelligence systems. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026

Further, the team also reduced the emitting surface into small areas to reduce junction capacitance and increase current density to ensure that the LEDs had a higher modulation bandwidth. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026

Within this broader satcom expansion, laser communications has emerged as an essential layer for unjammable, high-bandwidth data routing. — Rohit Jha, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Micron no longer sells consumer RAM, and Mehrotra’s statements refer to Micron’s business-to-business sales of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI and DRAM for servers. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026

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