kilogram
Americannoun
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kilograms
plural
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a unit of mass equal to 1,000 grams: the basic unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI). Up until 2019 the kilogram was defined as equal to the mass of an international prototype, a platinum-iridium cylinder kept in Sèvres, France. The kilogram has since been redefined in terms of universal physical constants, including the speed of light and Planck's constant. kg
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a unit of force and weight, equal to the force that produces an acceleration of 9.80665 meters per second per second when acting on a mass of one kilogram. kg
noun
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one thousand grams
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the basic SI unit of mass, equal to the mass of the international prototype held by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. One kilogram is equivalent to 2.204 62 pounds
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The basic unit of mass in the metric system, equal to 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds).
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See Table at measurement
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of kilogram
From the French word kilogramme, dating back to 1790–1800. See kilo-, -gram 2
Explanation
A kilogram is a unit of measurement that's a bit more than two pounds. The liter bottle of soda in your refrigerator weighed about one kilogram when it was full. The United States is one of only three countries that has not adopted the metric system as its official system of measurement. In the United States, then, the pound is the basic unit used to measure mass, while most countries use the kilogram. So your bulldog weighs in at 100 pounds at your home in Florida but 45.36 kilograms when you move to Ireland. Originally, a kilogram was defined as the mass of a liter of water.
Vocabulary lists containing kilogram
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Similarly, European prices have plummeted from $45,000 to as low as $16,000 a kilogram in some cities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Its experts retained the acceptable daily intake of 15 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day and found that estimated dietary exposure remained below that level across the population groups assessed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
"You would need the best part of a kilogram of raw chicken a day to get the amount of creatine you need," says Close.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
He estimates that one kilogram of the protein beads could theoretically capture and isolate about 100 grams of CO2 during a single operating cycle.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
I stop at the door and stare back, hoping when I return to check on the toxin, the LD 50 will be 0.000 nanograms per kilogram.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Its flagship robot is the Phantom MK-1, a man-sized humanoid which can carry 40 kilograms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
It grew to about seven meters in length and weighed roughly 1,800 kilograms.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
But then there were proposals to increase capacity to make five million more kilograms of PCBs at their plant in Newport.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
When Lisa Rees took her first dose of weight-loss medication in April, she hoped she would end up losing a few kilograms.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
"I see. And what does seven hundred and eighty kilograms of fuel buy us?"
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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