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• MW
  MW

  megawatt; megawatts.
• mW
  mW

  milliwatt; milliwatts.
• mw
  mw

  abbreviation

  Malawi

MW

¹ American  

1. Electricity. megawatt; megawatts.

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mW ² American  

Electricity.

1. milliwatt; milliwatts.

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MW ¹ British  

symbol

1. megawatt

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abbreviation

1. radio medium wave

2. Master of Wine

3. Malawi (international car registration)

mw ² British  

abbreviation

1. Malawi

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Usage

What does MW mean? In the context of dictionaries, MW stands for “many words.” Or something like that. If you’re here because you searched for “MW dictionary,” well, you’ve come to the right place as far as we’re concerned, because, oh yes, we’ve got many words. MW is really an abbreviation, though, and it can stand for a lot of different things. Most commonly, MW stands for megawatt, a unit of power equal to one million watts. Sometimes, the two letters are used as an abbreviation for milliwatt, a unit equal to one thousandth of a watt. In this case, it is typically styled as mW. In other scientific contexts, MW is an abbreviation for molecular weight—the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule. In URLs, .mw is the internet domain for Malawi. MW can also stand for medium wave (a type of radio wave) or Master of Wine, a certification issued to wine experts. And, OK, yes, when you see MW or M-W in the context of dictionaries, it often refers to the George and Charles Merriam/Noah Webster mashup. You know, “since 1828” and all that. (See you at the convention, M Dub!)Example: The station is capable of generating 1,000 MW of power.

Example Sentences

One hundred MW could power a small city’s peak demand, yet the average U.S. data center is expected to demand over 600 MW by 2030, according to the energy intelligence company Cleanview.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

He notes that management told investors the current customer pipeline “significantly exceeds 800 MW” including multiple opportunities above 100 MW, which gives the firm strong visibility on demand.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

He notes that management told investors the current customer pipeline “significantly exceeds 800 MW” including multiple opportunities above 100 MW, which gives the firm strong visibility on demand.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

MW: I was thinking that a lot of people who live in Compton, they’re seeing your work as part of their everyday, and there’s something really special about that.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

Some solar farms are recorded in MW direct current, or else an unknown capacity rating.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025