kiloton

noun

ki·​lo·​ton ˈki-lə-ˌtən 

ˈkē-lə-,

 also  -ˌtän

1

: 1000 tons

2

: an explosive force equivalent to that of 1000 tons of TNT

Examples of kiloton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Methods: Newsweek calculated the effects of detonating 20,000 kilotons on 10 U.S. cities, including Washington D.C, and looked at the results of an airburst attack, more likely to be used in a strike on a city than a surface attack, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

For some perspective, the atomic bombs dropped by the US on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 had explosive yields of about 15 kilotons and 20 kilotons, respectively. —Greg McKenna, Fortune Europe, 20 Nov. 2024

Blasts once measured in kilotons are now measured in megatons, and warheads once dropped by slow-flying bombers are now delivered by fast-flying and deadly accurate ballistic missiles. —Anthony Lake, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2024

For example, in Rwanda, egg consumption grew by 67% between 2010 and 2020, while Ghana attained record high egg production of 51.5 kilotons in 2020. —Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

kiloton

noun

ki·​lo·​ton ˈkil-ə-ˌtən 

ˈkē-lə-,

 also  -ˌtän

1

: 1000 tons

2

: an explosive force equivalent to that of 1000 tons of TNT