gigahertz

American  

[gig-uh-hurts, jig-] / ˈgɪg əˌhɜrts, ˈdʒɪg- /

noun

plural

gigahertz, gigahertzes

1. one billion hertz. GHz

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gigahertz British  

/ ˈɡɪɡəˌhɜːts, ˈdʒɪɡ- /

noun

1.  GHz.  a unit of frequency equal to 10 ⁹ hertz

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gigahertz Scientific  

/ gĭg′ə-hûrtz′ /

1. A unit of frequency equal to one billion (10 ⁹) hertz.

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Etymology

Origin of gigahertz

First recorded in 1960–65; giga- + hertz

Example Sentences

The processor can reach up to 5.6 gigahertz in chip clock speed and has eight high performance chip cores.

From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026

It was a reported microwave transmission varying between 2.5 and 4 gigahertz directed at the Embassy of the United States, Moscow from 1953 to 1976, resulting in an international incident.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2024

"These are electromagnetic rays in the range of around one hundred to several thousand gigahertz, comparable to the radiation of a cell phone or a microwave oven -- but with a significantly higher frequency."

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2024

In an interview, he explained the biggest issue involves a spectrum called 24 gigahertz, which weather satellites use to monitor natural microwave signals produced by water vapor at various levels in the atmosphere.

From Scientific American • Aug. 3, 2021

“Ben started off as a Cray XC40 supercomputer with a two-point-one gigahertz Xeon processor,” Monty explained.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti