megaton

American  

[meg-uh-tuhn] / ˈmɛg əˌtʌn /

noun

1. one million tons.

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

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megaton British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• megatonic adjective
• multimegaton noun

Etymology

Origin of megaton

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

Compare meaning

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

• megaton vs. kiloton

Example Sentences

A megaton is the equivalent of 1 million tons of TNT.

From Washington Times • May 18, 2022

Most nuclear weapons today are variable-yield, or “dial-a-yield,” providing a set amount of explosive power that can range from fractions of a kiloton to multiples of a megaton.

From Scientific American • Mar. 10, 2022

The old B61 bombs had the explosive power of 1 megaton; the new ones have “dial-a-yield” options, ranging from 340 kilotons down to a fraction of a kiloton.

From Slate • Oct. 22, 2019

In his novel “Libra,” Don DeLillo calls the report “the megaton novel that James Joyce would have written if he’d moved to Iowa City and lived to be a hundred.”

From The New Yorker • Apr. 1, 2019

Then came Livermore’s turn, with a device code-named Morgen- stern that was expected to yield one megaton.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik