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 Relay’s sonic performance is boosted by customizable parameters, which include selectable high/low gain, six filter modes and variable bit rates up to 32-bit / 768kHz.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
These are bit rates for the app; the web player sticks you with 128 Kbps and 256 Kbps, respectively.
—Matt Jancer, Wired News, 15 May 2023
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
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.
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
These are bit rates for the app; the web player sticks you with 128 Kbps and 256 Kbps, respectively.
—Matt Jancer, Wired News, 15 May 2023
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
Cite this Entry
“Bit rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bit%20rate. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share