gigawatt

noun

giga·​watt ˈji-gə-ˌwät How to pronounce gigawatt (audio) ˈgi- How to pronounce gigawatt (audio)
: a unit of power equal to one billion watts

Examples of gigawatt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Strategic partnership Adani's AI push is designed to build on AdaniConnex's existing 2 gigawatt (GW) national data center, with plans to expand toward a 5 GW target. Sam Meredith, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026 At the same time, TotalEnergies said its US portfolio now includes about 10 gigawatts of gross renewable and energy-storage capacity, including roughly 5 gigawatts in ERCOT and 400 megawatts in the PJM market. Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 15 Feb. 2026 One gigawatt is roughly equivalent to the amount of electricity needed to power approximately 750,000 homes. Callie Patteson, The Washington Examiner, 11 Feb. 2026 And Amazon backs x-Energy planning to build 5 gigawatts of SMR power by 2039, including about 1 gigawatt in Washington state. Jordan Blum, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gigawatt

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gigawatt was circa 1962

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Cite this Entry

“Gigawatt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gigawatt. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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