megapixel

American

[meg-uh-pik-suhl, -sel] / ˈmɛg əˌpɪk səl, -sɛl /

noun

Computers, Television.

a unit equal to one million pixels, used to measure the resolution of a digital image.

My camera has a resolution of 12 megapixels.

megapixel British

/ ˈmɛɡəˌpɪksəl /

noun

computing one million pixels: a term used to describe the degree of resolution supplied by digital cameras, scanners, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of megapixel

First recorded in 1980–85; mega- + pixel

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.

It cuts the resolution of photos larger than 16 megapixel and videos larger than 1080p, and does some compressing as well.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

Did you know that Dark Energy Camera has a resolution of 570 megapixel, almost 12 times more powerful than a modern mobile phone camera.

From Space Scoop • Sep. 19, 2025

Released in September, this latest GoPro camera shoots 5.3K video, grabs 27 megapixel photos, works 33 feet underwater, has image stabilization and can shoot 60 frames per second — under some circumstances, 240 frames.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2022

The S22 Ultra has a 108 megapixel rear camera with 10x optical zoom.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2022

I would’ve still liked a megapixel increase as I think the ability to zoom and crop after the fact is a lot more useful with drone photography than other disciplines.

From The Verge • Nov. 11, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023