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
Frances LefkowitzExamples 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
Semiconductor stocks — Stocks across the semiconductor industry fell after a South Korean media report that Samsung will begin producing next-generation high-bandwidth memory chips as soon as this month.
—Scott Schnipper, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
Consumers have severely limited subjective bandwidth for nutritional guidance.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
The compute-heavy chips that run AI—often graphics processing units such as Nvidia’s—require another form of memory made from DRAM called high-bandwidth memory, or HBM.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
Having a steep learning curve like this gives me so much bandwidth to try many different things in a short space of time.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
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Scott Schnipper, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
Consumers have severely limited subjective bandwidth for nutritional guidance.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
The compute-heavy chips that run AI—often graphics processing units such as Nvidia’s—require another form of memory made from DRAM called high-bandwidth memory, or HBM.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
Having a steep learning curve like this gives me so much bandwidth to try many different things in a short space of time.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bandwidth
Cite this Entry
“Bandwidth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bandwidth. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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