kilohertz

noun

ki·​lo·​hertz ˈki-lə-ˌhərts How to pronounce kilohertz (audio)
ˈkē-lə-,
-ˌherts How to pronounce kilohertz (audio)
plural kilohertz
: 1000 hertz

Did you know?

If your favorite AM radio station has a frequency of 680 kilohertz (kHz), that means the station's transmitter is oscillating (vibrating) at a rate of 680,000 cycles per second (i.e., 680,000 times a second). A related term is megahertz (MHz), meaning "millions of cycles per second". Shortwave radio operates between 5.9 and 26.1 MHz, and the FM radio band operates between 88 and 108 MHz. Garage-door openers work at about 40 MHz, baby monitors work at 49 MHz, and so on. The terms hertz, kilohertz and megahertz honor the great German physicist Heinrich Hertz, the first person to broadcast and receive radio waves.

Examples of kilohertz in a Sentence

a frequency of 80 kilohertz
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent experiments have already narrowed that to 300 kilohertz, and upcoming work could shrink it further to hundreds of hertz. New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2025 Long derided for its poor audio quality, the streaming service will start offering tracks in up to 24-bit and 44.1 kilohertz (kHz) FLAC beginning today, with more markets getting the feature in the coming weeks. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025 An external impedance spectroscope sends a low-frequency stimulus (between 10 and 250 kilohertz) to the circuit, generating an electrical field. Diya Dwarakanath, IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2025 Circling back to the 20,000 kilohertz that humans can hear—white noise is all of that, all at once. Julia Forbes, Wired News, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for kilohertz

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kilohertz was in 1929

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Cite this Entry

“Kilohertz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilohertz. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

kilohertz

noun
ki·​lo·​hertz ˈkil-ə-ˌhərts How to pronounce kilohertz (audio)
ˈkē-lə-,
-ˌhe(ə)rts
: 1000 hertz

Medical Definition

kilohertz

noun
ki·​lo·​hertz ˈkil-ə-ˌhərts How to pronounce kilohertz (audio) ˈkē-lə- How to pronounce kilohertz (audio)
-ˌhe(ə)rts
: 1000 hertz

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