K2

American

[key-too] / ˈkeɪˈtu /

noun

Also called Dapsang. Also called Godwin Austen. a mountain in N Kashmir: highest peak in the Karakoram range and second highest in the world. 28,250 feet (8,611 meters).

Trademark.

a brand name for a synthetic cannabis compound.

K2 British

noun

Also called: Godwin-Austen. Dapsang. a mountain in the Karakoram Range on the Kashmir-Xinjiang border: the second highest mountain in the world. Height: 8611 m (28 250 ft)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of K2

First recorded in 1855-60 K2 for def. 1; 2010 K2 for def. 2; K(arakoram) ( def. 1 ) + 2 (because it was the second peak in the range to be measured)

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:

The plane was operated by K2 Airways, a private cargo airline based in Karachi.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

He led a 1975 expedition up the world’s second-highest mountain, K2, that failed to reach the top.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

AI stands apart from previous tech advances because its applications are so broad and many potential uses have yet to be discovered, says Tom Rodenhauser, managing partner of K2 Consulting Research, which tracks the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

"Robot wars are already happening," says Oleksandr Afanasiev from the Ukrainian army's K2 brigade.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026

It was an exceedingly ambitious goal, but Kropp had the credentials to pull it off: he’d been on six previous Himalayan expeditions and had made solo ascents of Broad Peak, Cho Oyu, and K2.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023