megabyte

American  

[meg-uh-bahyt] / ˈmɛg əˌbaɪt /

noun

Computers.

megabytes plural

1. 2 20 (1,048,576) bytes.

2. (loosely) one million bytes. MB

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megabyte British  

/ ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt /

noun

1. Abbreviation: MB.   mbyte.  computing 2 ²⁰ or 1 048 576 bytes See also mega-

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megabyte Scientific  

/ mĕg′ə-bīt′ /

1. A unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,048,576 bytes (1,024 kilobytes or 2 ²⁰ bytes).

2. One million bytes.

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megabyte Cultural  

1. A unit of computer information: one million bytes.

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Usage

In computer science and industry usage, the prefix mega– often does not have its standard scientific meaning of 1,000,000, but refers instead to the power of two closest to 1,000,000, which is 2²⁰, or 1,048,576. The calculation of data storage capacity (measured in bytes) is based on powers of two because of the binary nature of bits (1 byte is 8, or 2³, bits). Thus, a megabyte is 1,048,576 bytes, although it is also used less technically to refer to a million bytes. Other numerical prefixes are interpreted similarly. With data transmission rates (measured in bits per second), a bit is considered as a signal pulse, and calculations are generally based on powers of ten. Thus, a rate of one megabit per second is equal to one million bits per second. However, in certain technical contexts, megabit can also refer to 1,048,576 bits. Similarly, the prefix kilo– refers to 1,000 or 2¹⁰ (1,024); giga– to 1,000,000,000 (one billion) or 2³⁰ (1,073,741,824); and tera– to 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) or 2⁴⁰ (1,099,511,627,776).

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• megabytes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of megabyte

First recorded in 1965–70; mega- + byte

Compare meaning

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

• megabit vs. megabyte

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

megabyte megabytes

If you have photos to include with your response, please make sure they are larger than 1 megabyte in size and email them to [email protected].

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 3, 2023

The government adopted a new tax imposing levies on every phone call, text message and megabyte of data in March.

From Reuters ● Dec. 9, 2022

For example, in a report about computer storage, you might need to define terms such as kilobyte, terabyte, gigabyte, and megabyte.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

As the state AGs note, the average cost per megabyte of data declined by between 72% and 83% between 2013 and 2017.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 12, 2019

The Apple was soon replaced by a more powerful Amiga with a 20 megabyte IBM compatible sidecar.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette

Despite the megabytes of exposition in Jesse Wigutow’s screenplay, it largely consists of stitching together excuses for cool-looking chases and fights between the real people and the cyber creations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

You can no longer think about things in terms of kilobytes or megabytes per second, because the amount of information is context-dependent.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2025

As the megabytes expended proved, you can make a compelling case for all and absolutely no guarantees about what follows.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2023

With data pixels so small, this amounted to quadrillions of megabytes per square centimeter — a stupendous amount of information, but not an infinite amount.

From New York Times ● Oct. 10, 2022

Perseus contains approximately 30 megabytes of text, an amount that will double in subsequent versions.

From Library of Congress Workshop on Etexts by Library of Congress