bandwidth

noun

band·​width ˈband-ˌwidth 

-ˌwitth

1

: a range within a band of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies

especially : a range of radio frequencies which is occupied by a modulated carrier wave, which is assigned to a service, or over which a device can operate

2

: the capacity for data transfer of an electronic communications system

Graphics consume more bandwidth than text does.

especially : the maximum data transfer rate of such a system

a bandwidth of 100 megabits per second

3

: the emotional or mental capacity necessary to do or consider something

I don't have the bandwidth to do it all myself, and I feel like a failure because I'm not living up to my own ideals.

—Frances Lefkowitz

Examples of bandwidth in a Sentence

The modem has a bandwidth of 56 kilobits per second.

Graphics use more bandwidth than text does.

Recent Examples on the Web

People used to have the bandwidth to receive phone calls from anyone at any time, even without caller ID. —Melissa Kirsch, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025

Wi-Fi 7 is also expected to offer a Restricted Target Wake Time feature that allows the router to reserve bandwidth for certain types of data transmissions. —PCMAG, 11 Feb. 2025

To be clear, there may still be niche use cases for many gigabits per second of wireless bandwidth—just as there may still be executives or world leaders who continue to look forward to spanning the globe at supersonic speeds. —IEEE Spectrum, 9 Feb. 2025

To succeed, Stargate requires a dedicated executive team with the bandwidth to steer daily operations, make critical decisions, and adapt to challenges in real time. —Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bandwidth

noun

band·​width ˈband-ˌwidth 

1

: a range of frequencies

2

: the capacity for or rate of data transfer

a high bandwidth Internet connection