bandwidth

[band-width, -with]

noun

1. Telecommunications.,  the smallest range of frequencies constituting a band within which a particular signal can be transmitted without distortion.

2. Digital Technology.,  the transmission capacity of an electronic communications device or system; the speed of data transfer.

   a high-bandwidth internet connection.

3. mental capacity; intelligence.

   Don't listen to him—he has really low bandwidth.

4. a person's capacity to handle or think about more than one thing at the same time.

   He doesn't have the bandwidth to make those kinds of decisions.

bandwidth

/ ˈbændˌwɪdθ /

noun

1. the range of frequencies within a given waveband used for a particular transmission

2. the range of frequencies over which a receiver or amplifier should not differ by more than a specified amount

3. the range of frequencies used in a specific telecommunications signal

bandwidth

1. The numerical difference between the upper and lower frequencies of a band of electromagnetic radiation, especially an assigned range of radio frequencies.

2. The amount of data that can be passed along a communications channel in a given period of time. For analog devices, such as standard telephones, bandwith is the range of frequencies that can be transmitted and is expressed in hertz (cycles per second). For digital devices, bandwidth is measured in bits per second. The wider the bandwidth, the faster data can be sent.

bandwidth

1. The amount of data that can be carried by a digital communication medium, often expressed in hertz.

Within the radio and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum limited bandwidth is available, and in the United States the use of the spectrum is regulated and allocated by the FCC. (See VHF and UHF.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of bandwidth¹

First recorded in 1925–30; band ² + width

Example Sentences

“Data centers need low latency and high-density bandwidth density,” Gastwirth said, referring to fiber-optic technology’s ability to transmit data faster and in greater quantities.

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But if you might be more adventurous than me — and have the emotional bandwidth to deal with it.

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The company said the AI250, expected in 2027, would be ten times more effective in memory bandwidth than current products on the market while consuming less power.

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The memory architecture design will deliver higher memory bandwidth and lower power consumption versus prior generations.

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“You have to get that right so you have the oxygen and bandwidth to go do the rest.”

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