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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

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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.

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

Meanwhile, EV charging prices have slightly increased to 42 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity, up from 39 cents last month.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Heat pumps convert single kilowatt hours of electricity into multiple kilowatt hours of heat but electric boilers can't do this and are therefore considered less efficient.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2025

Under the power price plans, the cost for key industries, such as chemical and steel production, is set to be reduced to five cents a kilowatt hour from 2026 to 2028.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

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

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir