kilo

1 of 3

noun

ki·​lo ˈkē-(ˌ)lō 

also

ˈki- 

plural kilos

: a unit of mass or weight equaling one thousand grams or approximately 2.2 pounds : kilogram

Each sack weighs 50 kilos.

Did you know … that it takes a lobster between five and seven years to grow to a weight of half a kilo, the minimum size it should reach before being fished?

—Food & Drink

When he finally strips off the kilos of gold enveloping his body, Deion is as light as a feather.

—Curry Kirkpatrick

Gathering in Versailles, west of Paris, governments are expected on Friday to approve plans to instead use a scientific formulation to define the exact mass of a kilo.

—John Leicester

Kilo

2 of 3

communications code word

—used as a code word for the letter k

kilo-

3 of 3

combining form

: thousand

kiloton

Examples of kilo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Cops got a search warrant and found a treasure trove of drugs, guns and ammo, including a duffel bag containing an AK-47 rifle and six handguns, all loaded, along with hundreds of bullets; plus a safe with nearly 2 kilos of cocaine, $107,000 cash and three handgun magazines. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 26 Nov. 2024

To put 13,000 kilos of cocaine in a container, drug lords must have blind faith customs aren't going to open it, said Cruz Morcillo in ABC (Madrid). —The Week Uk, theweek, 24 Nov. 2024

In the same period in 2022, companies imported about 180 million kilos of Christmas goods, or 22% more than this year. —Richa Naidu, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024

That’s significantly higher than the 950 kilos of an Exige S, but still a bantamweight by the standards of modern sports cars. —IEEE Spectrum, 15 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Combining form

French, modification of Greek chilioi

First Known Use

Noun

1870, in the meaning defined above

Communications Code Word

1952, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

kilo

1 of 2 noun

ki·​lo ˈkē-(ˌ)lō 

plural kilos

: kilogram

kilo-

2 of 2 combining form

: thousand

kiloton

Etymology

Combining form

derived from Greek chilioi "thousand"