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• kilo
  kilo

  noun

  kilogram.
• kilo-
  kilo-

  a Greek combining form meaning “thousand,” introduced from French in the nomenclature of the metric system (kiloliter ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words in other scientific measurements (kilowatt ).
• kilo–
  kilo–

  A prefix that means:

kilo

¹ American  

[kee-loh, kil-oh] / ˈki loʊ, ˈkɪl oʊ /

noun

• kilos
  plural

1. kilogram.

2. kilometer.

3. (a word used in communications to represent the letterK. )

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kilo- ² American  

1. a Greek combining form meaning “thousand,” introduced from French in the nomenclature of the metric system (kiloliter ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words in other scientific measurements (kilowatt ).

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kilo ¹ British  

/ ˈkiːləʊ /

noun

1. communications a code word for the letter k

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kilo- ² British  

prefix

1. k. denoting 10³ (1000)

   kilometre

2. (in computer technology) denoting 2 ¹⁰ (1024): kilobyte: in computer usage, kilo- is restricted to sizes of storage (e.g. kilobit ) when it means 1024; in other computer contexts it retains its usual meaning of 1000

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kilo ³ British  

/ ˈkiːləʊ /

noun

1. short for kilogram kilometre

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kilo– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means:

2. One thousand, as in kilowatt, one thousand watts.

3. 2 ¹⁰ (that is, 1,024), which is the power of 2 closest to 1,000, as in kilobyte.

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Usage

What does kilo- mean? Kilo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “thousand.” It is often used in units of measure. Kilo- comes from Greek chī́lioi, meaning “a thousand.” The Latin translation of chī́lioi is mille, “a thousand,” which is the source of English terms such as millennium and millipede. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kilos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kilo¹

First recorded in 1865–70; shortened form

Origin of kilo-²

< French, representing Greek chī́lioi a thousand

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kilo kilo- kilos

Pristine, full-bodied matsutakes can fetch as much as 800 yuan a kilo, equivalent to about $54 a pound.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

The dross, meanwhile, is sold for as little as 30 yuan a kilo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Previously the business was paying £7 for a kilo of fish but now they are paying between £16-£17.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Graciela Zuleta, an Indigenous vegetable vendor, now asks $1.10 for a kilo of tomatoes to cover her costs, up from $0.40 before the crisis.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

Pascal had a kilo of sugar cane and a defunct World War II handgun in his backpack.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

More private languages and more codes than ever circulate as kilo- and megabytes among individuals escaping any form of regulation.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin

Those results showed that participants practicing TRE lost an average of 3-4 kilos more than people who received nutritional guidance alone, regardless of when their eating window occurred.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026

"We were using 300 kilos of wood a week, now it's about 450-600 kilos," he said, explaining that they had turned off the gas burners that help the ovens retain heat.

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

On the trading floor of precious-metals group Heraeus in Hanau, Germany, Dominik Sperzel is fielding calls from investors hunting for silver bars—ranging from the smallest, one troy ounce, to the largest, 15 kilos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026

"It feels like 170 kilos fell off my shoulders," she said.

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026

“Bull troll. Fully grown. One hundred and eighty kilos, with tusks like a wild boar. A really wild boar.”

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer