kilotons
kilotons
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "kilotons" is /'kɪləˌtʌnz/.
ki-: /'kɪl/ - The first syllable is stressed. The "k" sound is a voiceless velar stop, the "i" is a short high front vowel, and the "l" is a voiced alveolar lateral approximant.
-o-: /ə/ - The second syllable is a schwa sound, an unstressed central vowel.
-tons: /ˌtʌnz/ - The final syllable is also unstressed. The "t" is a voiceless alveolar stop, the "u" is a short low back vowel (or sometimes a more central vowel), the "n" is a voiced alveolar nasal, and the "z" is a voiced alveolar sibilant.
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: kiloton
Plural Noun: kilotons
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A unit of explosive power equivalent to 1,000 tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT). This term is most commonly used in the context of nuclear weapons and seismic events.
Synonyms: n/a (this is a specific unit of measurement)
Antonyms: n/a (this is a specific unit of measurement)
Definition 2: (Figurative) An immense or overwhelming quantity or amount of something, especially when used to describe something with significant impact or force.
Synonyms: heaps, tons, scads, immense amounts, great deal
Antonyms: handful, sprinkle, smidgen, small amount, trifle
Examples of Use
Online Publication: "The asteroid, estimated to be about 100 meters in diameter, would impact with the force of several hundred kilotons of TNT, causing widespread devastation." (NASA Science, June 2024)
Book: In the book Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, author Eric Schlosser describes the destructive power of a nuclear warhead in terms of its yield, often measured in kilotons. (Penguin Press, September 2013)
Newspaper: "The earthquake was followed by an eruption that released an estimated two kilotons of volcanic gas into the atmosphere." (The Guardian, February 2023)
General Public Discourse: During a debate about military spending, one pundit argued, "We're not talking about a small explosion here; we're talking about a device with a yield of multiple kilotons."
Film: In the movie Oppenheimer, there is a discussion among scientists about the expected yield of the first atomic bomb test, with figures being debated in terms of kilotons. (Universal Pictures, July 2023)
10 Famous Quotes Using Kilotons
"A 750-kiloton warhead exploding one mile above New York City would kill more than 1.8 million people nearly instantly, and wound more than 2 million more." (American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2025)
"The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were ‘only’ 15 and 20 kilotons, respectively, and they killed over 250,000 people." (Future of Life Institute, May 2016)
"The first atomic test, dubbed "Trinity," exploded with an energy equivalent to 24.8 ± 2 kilotons of TNT." (Wikipedia, "Trinity (nuclear test)")
"The Great Halifax Explosion had the power of its cargo at about 3 kilotons of TNT — or about a fifth of the 15 kilotons the “Little Boy” atomic bomb unleashed on Hiroshima." (John U. Bacon, The Great Halifax Explosion)
"From 2006 to 2016 North Korea steadily increased the size of the events, from somewhere around 1 kiloton up to around 20 kilotons." (Thorne Lay, University of California Santa Cruz, June 2019)
"Two thousand tons of incendiaries delivered that punishment — in the modern notation, two kilotons." (Richard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb)
"I ran the calcs on the max energy content of 7000 cubic meters of water turning into superheated steam, and I calculated that it would only have the energy content of ~10 kilotons of tnt at 100% efficiency." (Frostynuke, Reddit, May 2019)
"An asteroid estimated to be about 100 meters in diameter would impact with the force of several hundred kilotons of TNT, causing widespread devastation." (NASA Science, June 2024)
"The B61-4 is a tactical mod with a low-yield range of 0.3 to 0.5 kilotons, while the strategic B61-7 can carry yields ranging from 10 to 360 kilotons." (Future of Life Institute, May 2016)
"The most powerful non-nuclear explosion in history was a Soviet device which was the equivalent of 4.5 kilotons, and it was one of the largest underground detonations that was ever conducted." (Original quote)
Etymology
The word "kiloton" is a combination of two parts: the Greek prefix "kilo-" and the English word "ton."
"Kilo-" comes from the ancient Greek word khilioi, meaning "a thousand." In the metric system, "kilo-" is a prefix used to signify a multiple of one thousand. You see this in other words like "kilogram" (a thousand grams) or "kilometer" (a thousand meters).
"Ton" is a unit of weight or mass. It has a long history in English, dating back to Old English and Old French, where it was originally a large cask or barrel. Over time, it came to mean a specific unit of weight.
So, when you put them together, "kiloton" literally means "one thousand tons." The term was coined in the mid-20th century, specifically in the context of the development of nuclear weapons. Scientists and military strategists needed a way to measure the massive destructive power of these new bombs. They decided to express this power by comparing it to a known quantity: the amount of energy released by a thousand tons of the conventional explosive TNT (trinitrotoluene). The first known uses of the word appeared in official documents and reports related to the Manhattan Project around the 1940s. The meaning has remained consistent ever since, referring to that specific unit of explosive energy.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Kilotons
"With the force of a kiloton" (describing a powerful impact)
"A few kilotons shy of a full load" (an original, humorous phrase for something that is not as powerful or effective as it should be)
"To have a yield of X kilotons" (a technical phrase used to describe the explosive power of a device)
"In the multi-kiloton range" (a technical phrase to describe a magnitude)
"Drop a kiloton on it" (an original, hyperbolic phrase for using an overwhelming amount of force or effort on a task)
"Got tons of work to do" (an idiom using a synonym, meaning a large amount of work)
"It weighs a kiloton" (a hyperbolic phrase for something very heavy)
"Talking kilotons of dynamite" (a phrase used for emphasis on the scale of destruction or impact)
"It's going to be kilotons of fun" (an original, hyperbolic phrase for something that will be extremely enjoyable)
"He delivered tons of insults" (an idiom using a synonym, meaning a large quantity of insults)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of kilotons from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
