megapixel

American  

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

noun

Computers, Television.

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

   My camera has a resolution of 12 megapixels.

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megapixel British  

/ ˈmɛɡəˌpɪksəl /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of megapixel

First recorded in 1980–85; mega- + pixel

Example Sentences

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 and S22+ come with a 50 megapixel ultra-wide camera and 3x optical zoom.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2022

It’ll reportedly use the same Google Tensor processor as the Pixel 6, but will feature a lower-resolution 12.2 megapixel main camera, compared to the 50-megapixel sensor on the 6.

From The Verge • Jan. 28, 2022