bit rate
noun
variants
or less commonly bit-rate
or bitrate
: a measure of the speed of data processing usually calculated as the number of bits per second
MP3 measures compression settings in terms of a file's bit rate—the average number of bits required for one second of sound.—
Jim Heid
Jim HeidExamples of bit rate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The inability to change the export bit rate meant that my render speed performance testing of Lightworks wasn’t an entirely fair comparison with the other programs.
—PC Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
The unpaid level reduces the video bit rate but maintains 2K resolution at a 30fps capture rate (1080p and 720p are also available if your bandwidth is limited).
—PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
Granta’s anti-jamming approach switches to a lower bit rate.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
The team goes on to calculate similar bit rates for extreme examples of human information processing.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 18 Dec. 2024
The new standard reduced its predecessors bit rate—for the same video quality—by at least half.
—Thomas Wiegand, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Aug. 2011
Bluetooth codec support is limited to just SBC, which offers the lowest bit rate and sound quality.
—Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2024
Two people talking in front of a plain white wall were encoded with lower bit rates than the same two people taking part in a car chase; Barbie hanging out with her friends at home required less data than the scene in which Mr. Sparklesuit shows up.
—Janko Roettgers, The Verge, 22 June 2024
Traveling at the speed of light, the video signal took 101 seconds to reach Earth, sent at the system’s maximum bit rate of 267 megabits per second, NASA said.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2023
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PC Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
The unpaid level reduces the video bit rate but maintains 2K resolution at a 30fps capture rate (1080p and 720p are also available if your bandwidth is limited).
—PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
Granta’s anti-jamming approach switches to a lower bit rate.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
The team goes on to calculate similar bit rates for extreme examples of human information processing.
—Michael Irving, New Atlas, 18 Dec. 2024
The new standard reduced its predecessors bit rate—for the same video quality—by at least half.
—Thomas Wiegand, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Aug. 2011
Bluetooth codec support is limited to just SBC, which offers the lowest bit rate and sound quality.
—Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2024
Two people talking in front of a plain white wall were encoded with lower bit rates than the same two people taking part in a car chase; Barbie hanging out with her friends at home required less data than the scene in which Mr. Sparklesuit shows up.
—Janko Roettgers, The Verge, 22 June 2024
Traveling at the speed of light, the video signal took 101 seconds to reach Earth, sent at the system’s maximum bit rate of 267 megabits per second, NASA said.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Bit rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bit%20rate. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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