kilowatt

American  

[kil-uh-wot] / ˈkɪl əˌwɒt /

noun

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

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kilowatt British  

/ ˈkɪləʊˌwɒt /

noun

1.  kW.  one thousand watts

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kilowatt Scientific  

/ kĭl′ə-wŏt′ /

1. A unit of power equal to 1,000 watts.

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kilowatt Cultural  

1. One thousand watts. (See power.)

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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:

• kilowatt vs. kilowatt-hour

Example Sentences

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

That pencils out to $20,000 per kilowatt, about eight to 10 times as much as the cost of building a natural gas power plant.

From Barron's

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

It's small in scale at just 40 kilowatts – equivalent to roughly 10 of the rooftop solar arrays you would find on a typical British home.

From BBC

Building a new nuclear reactor is much pricier; the latest ones cost over $10,000 a kilowatt.

From Barron's