megaton

[meg-uh-tuhn]

noun

1. one million tons. ton.

2. an explosive force equal to that of one million tons ton of TNT, as that of atomic or hydrogen bombs. MT

megaton

/ ˈmɛɡəˌtʌn, ˌmɛɡəˈtɒnɪk /

noun

1. one million tons

2. mt. an explosive power, esp of a nuclear weapon, equal to the power of one million tons of TNT

Other Word Forms

• megatonic adjective
• multimegaton noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of megaton¹

First recorded in 1950–55; mega- + ton ¹

Example Sentences

Its yield, they calculated, would be in the range of one hundred megatons.

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The Tunguska blast was likely 10 times more powerful, releasing an estimated 3 to 5 megatons.

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Democratic attorneys general and their political allies have already bombarded the Trump administration with a megaton of lawsuits, several of which have successfully halted Musk and his co-president’s flagrant overreach.

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"Interestingly, ecosystems within the park boundary pull around 1.5 megatons of carbon from the atmosphere each year," Smith said.

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A megaton is the equivalent of a million tons of TNT, and China plans to use them against U.S. cities in the case of an open conflict.

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