kilogram

American  

[kil-uh-gram] / ˈkɪl əˌgræm /

especially British, kilogramme

noun

1. 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

2. 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

---

kilogram British  

/ ˈkɪləʊˌɡræm /

noun

1. one thousand grams

2. 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

---

kilogram Scientific  

/ kĭl′ə-grăm′ /

1. The basic unit of mass in the metric system, equal to 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds).

2. See Table at measurement

---

kilogram Cultural  

1. A unit of mass in the metric system, equal to one thousand grams. The weight of a one-kilogram mass is slightly over two pounds.

---

Etymology

Origin of kilogram

From the French word kilogramme, dating back to 1790–1800. See kilo-, -gram ²

Example Sentences

There are about 7,500 liters of helium-3 in a kilogram, according to reporting from the Washington Post.

From MarketWatch

Helium 3 alone currently trades at more than $20,000 per kilogram, making it one of the most valuable resources on earth.

From BBC

But locating and seizing the hundreds of kilograms of highly enriched uranium that Iran possesses would require an intricate choreography and could be fraught with risk.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Today, the kilogram is defined on the basis of fundamental constants using an electromechanical device that compares electric current to mass," St-Jean explained.

From Science Daily

Sponsors organized hair and makeup sessions in the Olympic villages, which went through an average of 365 kilograms of pasta and 10,000 eggs a day.

From Los Angeles Times