kilowatt-hour

noun

kilo·​watt-hour ˈki-lə-ˌwät-ˈau̇(-ə)r 

ˈkē-lə-

: a unit of work or energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour or to 3.6 million joules

Examples of kilowatt-hour in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dam provides water to millions of people and generates an average of 4 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power each year for Nevada, Arizona and California. —CBS News, 20 Feb. 2026

Since this time last year, the average price of electricity per kilowatt-hour has increased by over 7%. —Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026

Scaling it to the multi-hundred-kilowatt-hour battery packs used in electric vehicles will still require extensive validation, safety certification, and integration into existing platforms. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 15 Feb. 2026

The Padres say the project was completed later in 2018, that the solar canopy produces more than 1 million kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity per year and is the largest solar project in Major League Baseball. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kilowatt-hour

• candlepower
• cauliflower
• overpower
• superpower
• vavasour
• waterpower
• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• empower
• firepower
• horsepower

Kids Definition

kilowatt-hour

noun

: a unit of work or energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour and equal to 3.6 million joules

Medical Definition

kilowatt-hour

noun

: a unit of work or energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour