kiloton

See also: kilotón

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

metric prefix kilo- +‎ ton

Pronunciation
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈkɪləˌtʌn/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun

kiloton (plural kilotons)

  1. A measure of the strength of an explosion or a bomb based on how many thousand tons of TNT would be needed to produce the same energy.
    That's a 300-kiloton nuclear warhead.
    • 2022 August 24, Bruce Healey, “Wartime tunnel crash: a miraculous escape”, in RAIL, number 964, page 53:
      Halifax in Canada was devastated by a ship exploding in 1917. SS Mont Blanc, a French vessel loaded with 2.9 kilotons of explosives, collided with the Imo.
  2. One thousand tons.

Derived terms

Translations
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