kilogram

ki·lo·gram | \ ˈkē-lə-ˌgram

, ˈki-lə-

Definition of kilogram

1 : the base unit of mass in the International System of Units that is equal to the mass of a prototype agreed upon by international convention and that is nearly equal to the mass of 1000 cubic centimeters of water at the temperature of its maximum density — see Metric System Table

2 : a unit of force or weight equal to the weight of a kilogram mass under a gravitational attraction equal to that of the earth

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about kilogram

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Did You Know?

The original concept of the kilogram, as the mass of a cubic decimeter of water (a bit more than a quart), was adopted as the base unit of mass by the new revolutionary government of France in 1793. In 1875, in the Treaty of the Meter, 17 countries, including the U.S., adopted the French kilogram as an international standard. In 1889 a new international standard for the kilogram, a metal bar made of platinum iridium, was agreed to; President Benjamin Harrison officially received the 1-kilogram cylinder for the U.S. in 1890. But no one uses that bar very often; for all practical purposes, a kilogram equals 2.2 pounds.

Examples of kilogram in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Listing image by Astra Cheap Almost every decision Astra makes comes down to cost, with the goal of offering customers the lowest price per kilogram to orbit. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "At Astra, failure is an option," 6 Feb. 2020 Pork retailed for about 32 yuan ($4.5) per kilogram in 2017, according to government data. — Laura He, CNN, "Dumplings without pork? Swine fever is hitting Chinese consumers," 16 Oct. 2019 Qian said the average wholesale price of pork had edged down slightly during the week of Sept. 16-22 to 36.4 yuan ($5.11) per kilogram. — Time, "China to Send Its Top Trade Negotiator to Washington for Talks," 30 Sep. 2019 The best lithium-ion batteries top out at 265 watt-hours per kilogram, which is nowhere near enough get an airliner across the Pacific. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Air travel is a huge contributor to climate change. A new global movement wants you to be ashamed to fly.," 1 Aug. 2019 In addition to the nationwide arrests, agents seized more than 20 kilograms of drugs and $20 million in cash. — NBC News, "U.S. probe into Mexican drug cartel yields 750 arrests," 12 Mar. 2020 Outside a shopping center in Solana Beach, at a bus stop in Claremont and in an apartment in Rancho Cucamonga, pounds of methamphetamine and kilograms of cocaine changed hands, the indictments charge. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, "Federal officials announce crackdown on violent drug cartel," 11 Mar. 2020 The incident occurred in the parking lot of an El Dorado furniture store when an undercover agent attempted to buy approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine from Antonoff, according to the incident report from West Palm Beach police. — azcentral, "Homeland Security Investigations agents involved in shootings nationwide," 24 Feb. 2020 Billions in taxes raised TAPP proposes that the 27 EU countries start by putting a minimum tax on meat of one-euro-per-kilogram (50 cents per pound) between 2023 and 2025. — Adrian Croft, Fortune, "Looking to cut emissions, Europe eyes a ‘sustainability’ tax on meat," 6 Feb. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kilogram.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.