kiloton

plural kilotons · alternative kilotonne

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. (A derived unit for TNT equivalent.)

   Meronym: ton of TNT

   3 more examples

   Holonyms: megaton < gigaton < teraton < petaton < exaton (rare) < zettaton (rare) < yottaton (rare)

   That's a 300-kiloton nuclear warhead.

   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.

   2022 August 24, Bruce Healey, “Wartime tunnel crash: a miraculous escape”, in RAIL, number 964, page 53

2. One thousand tons.
   1. One thousand short tons (10³ × 2000 lb).
   2. One thousand long tons (10³ × 2240 lb).
   3. One thousand metric tons (10³ × 2204.6 lb).

      Holonyms: megaton < gigaton