MW

¹ American  

1. Electricity. megawatt; megawatts.

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mW ² American  

Electricity.

1. milliwatt; milliwatts.

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MW ¹ British  

symbol

1. megawatt

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abbreviation

1. radio medium wave

2. Master of Wine

3. Malawi (international car registration)

mw ² British  

abbreviation

1. Malawi

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Usage

What does MW mean? In the context of dictionaries, MW stands for “many words.” Or something like that. If you’re here because you searched for “MW dictionary,” well, you’ve come to the right place as far as we’re concerned, because, oh yes, we’ve got many words. MW is really an abbreviation, though, and it can stand for a lot of different things. Most commonly, MW stands for megawatt, a unit of power equal to one million watts. Sometimes, the two letters are used as an abbreviation for milliwatt, a unit equal to one thousandth of a watt. In this case, it is typically styled as mW. In other scientific contexts, MW is an abbreviation for molecular weight—the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule. In URLs, .mw is the internet domain for Malawi. MW can also stand for medium wave (a type of radio wave) or Master of Wine, a certification issued to wine experts. And, OK, yes, when you see MW or M-W in the context of dictionaries, it often refers to the George and Charles Merriam/Noah Webster mashup. You know, “since 1828” and all that. (See you at the convention, M Dub!)Example: The station is capable of generating 1,000 MW of power.

Example Sentences

MW: How do you think painting murals in Compton has changed your relationship with the city?

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

The company will be purchased for $21.20 a share by a joint venture formed by MW Group and funds affiliated with Blackstone Real Estate and DivcoWest.

From Barron's • Dec. 9, 2025

The company will be purchased for $21.20 a share by a joint venture formed by MW Group and funds affiliated with Blackstone Real Estate and DivcoWest.

From Barron's • Dec. 9, 2025

When a data center uses one 500 megawatt turbine, for example, it needs another huge 500 MW turbine to ensure there is backup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

His wife, Susie Barrie, who is also an MW, adds: "I remain to be convinced that a wine made by blending grapes from different countries can be great in terms of taste."

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2025