kilogram
Americannoun
-
a unit of mass equal to 1,000 grams: the basic unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI). Up until 2019 the kilogram was defined as equal to the mass of an international prototype, a platinum-iridium cylinder kept in Sèvres, France. The kilogram has since been redefined in terms of universal physical constants, including the speed of light and Planck's constant. kg
-
a unit of force and weight, equal to the force that produces an acceleration of 9.80665 meters per second per second when acting on a mass of one kilogram. kg
noun
-
one thousand grams
-
the basic SI unit of mass, equal to the mass of the international prototype held by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. One kilogram is equivalent to 2.204 62 pounds
-
The basic unit of mass in the metric system, equal to 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds).
-
See Table at measurement
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of kilogram
From the French word kilogramme, dating back to 1790–1800. See kilo-, -gram 2
Explanation
A kilogram is a unit of measurement that's a bit more than two pounds. The liter bottle of soda in your refrigerator weighed about one kilogram when it was full. The United States is one of only three countries that has not adopted the metric system as its official system of measurement. In the United States, then, the pound is the basic unit used to measure mass, while most countries use the kilogram. So your bulldog weighs in at 100 pounds at your home in Florida but 45.36 kilograms when you move to Ireland. Originally, a kilogram was defined as the mass of a liter of water.
Vocabulary lists containing kilogram
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.
The lump is called the International Prototype Kilogram, or I.P.K.
From The New Yorker • Nov. 15, 2018
The clean, spare Shadowbox NYC, in the Flatiron district, has a cafe that serves Intelligentsia coffee, Kilogram tea and cold-pressed kale juice.
From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2015
Easy: it's the exact mass of a metal cylinder called the International Prototype Kilogram, IPK for short, kept in controlled conditions in France.
From Scientific American • Jan. 16, 2013
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
