kilo

1 of 3

noun

ki·​lo ˈkē-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce kilo (audio)
also
ˈki- How to pronounce kilo (audio)
plural kilos
: a unit of mass or weight equaling one thousand grams or approximately 2.2 pounds : kilogram
Each sack weighs 50 kilos.
Did you know … that it takes a lobster between five and seven years to grow to a weight of half a kilo, the minimum size it should reach before being fished?Food & Drink
When he finally strips off the kilos of gold enveloping his body, Deion is as light as a feather.Curry Kirkpatrick
Gathering in Versailles, west of Paris, governments are expected on Friday to approve plans to instead use a scientific formulation to define the exact mass of a kilo.John Leicester

Kilo

2 of 3

communications code word

used as a code word for the letter k

kilo-

3 of 3

combining form

: thousand
kiloton

Examples of kilo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
That changed in September after a 1-year-old died and three other children were sickened following exposure to a kilo of fentanyl at a Bronx day care. Clio Chang, Curbed, 15 Nov. 2023 Key developments The surface drones were loaded with 450 kilos of explosives and targeted the Olenegorsky Miner, which was carrying 100 Russian crew members, the Ukrainian government official told The Post on Friday. Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2023 During May, the principal period of distillation, the town consumed 45,000 kilos of roses and 15,000 kilos of orange flowers a day. Jonathan Miles, Town & Country, 5 Sep. 2023 Back then, his monthly salary was the equivalent of $20, enough to pay for a carton of eggs, a kilo of meat and a kilo of cheese in Venezuela’s economy, beset by years of hyper-inflation. Soudi Jiménez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023 According to the indictment, investigators raided that apartment on May 20, 2019, finding two kilos of fentanyl, a handgun and drug packaging materials. Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 11 Sep. 2023 Officials said a kilo of the poisonous and potent drug was stored on top of children’s play mats, and more fentanyl was found beneath trap doors inside a room where kids played and slept at the day care center, according to court records. Rob Frehse, CNN, 5 Oct. 2023 The suspects are accused of storing a kilo of fentanyl in a closet at the day care center, prosecutors said. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2023 Officials said a kilo of the poisonous and potent drug was stored on top of children’s play mats, and more fentanyl was found beneath trap doors inside the room where the kids played and slept at the daycare, according to court records. Mark Morales, CNN, 28 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kilo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Combining form

French, modification of Greek chilioi

First Known Use

Noun

1870, in the meaning defined above

Communications Code Word

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kilo was in 1870

Dictionary Entries Near kilo

Kilo

kilo

kilo-

Cite this Entry

“Kilo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilo. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

kilo

1 of 2 noun
ki·​lo ˈkē-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce kilo (audio)
plural kilos

kilo-

2 of 2 combining form
: thousand
kiloton
Etymology

Combining form

derived from Greek chilioi "thousand"

More from Merriam-Webster on kilo

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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