megabyte

noun

mega·​byte ˈme-gə-ˌbīt How to pronounce megabyte (audio)
: 1024 kilobytes or 1,048,576 bytes
also : one million bytes

Examples of megabyte in a Sentence

The CD has a storage capacity of 800 megabytes.
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.
Jubair and others allegedly stole 18 megabytes of data including thousands of names of Court employees, job titles, work locations, and usernames, and cellphone numbers. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025 Most SSDs have a maximum of at least 500 megabytes per second; this can transfer the average game in roughly 4 minutes. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2025 Vampire Survivors weighs in at a puny 600 megabytes. Luke Winkie, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025 As for capacities, HDDs have grown from multiple megabytes to multiple terabytes, more than a million-fold increase, while retaining their same 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch physical sizes. PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for megabyte

Word History

Etymology

from the fact that 1,048,576 (220) is the power of 2 closest to one million

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of megabyte was in 1965

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Megabyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/megabyte. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

megabyte

noun
mega·​byte ˈmeg-ə-ˌbīt How to pronounce megabyte (audio)
: 1,048,576 bytes
also : one million bytes

More from Merriam-Webster on megabyte

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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