Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

kilowatt

American  
[kil-uh-wot] / ˈkɪl əˌwɒt /

noun

  1. a unit of power, equal to 1000 watts. kW, kw


kilowatt British  
/ ˈkɪləʊˌwɒt /

noun

  1.  kW.  one thousand watts

"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

kilowatt Scientific  
/ kĭlə-wŏt′ /
  1. A unit of power equal to 1,000 watts.


kilowatt Cultural  
  1. One thousand watts. (See power.)


Etymology

Origin of kilowatt

First recorded in 1880–85; kilo- + watt

Compare meaning

How does kilowatt compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Vocabulary lists containing kilowatt

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:

Fervo anticipates that geothermal power from its Utah plant will cost roughly $7,000 per kilowatt of electricity.

From BBC Jun. 25, 2026

Power produced by Fervo’s first project won’t be cheap at roughly $7,000 a kilowatt, comparable to some nuclear SMR designs.

From The Wall Street Journal May 23, 2026

Fervo aims to cut its geothermal project costs from $7,000 to $3,000 per kilowatt, making it more competitive than gas.

From Barron's May 13, 2026

They found that some hydropower plants give off small amounts of planet-heating gases, while in some extreme cases, emissions can be “greater than those from coal-fired power plants” per kilowatt of electricity generated.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 15, 2026

Making them bigger makes them take less mass per kilowatt hour of storage.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training