1. plural of kiloton: units of measurement equal to 1,000 tons, especially used to measure the explosive power of nuclear weapons
Usage: military; scientific

Examples

• The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a yield of about 15 kilotons.
• Modern nuclear weapons can have yields measured in hundreds of kilotons.
• The test explosion registered at 20 kilotons of TNT equivalent.
• Scientists measured the asteroid impact at several kilotons of force.
• The submarine could carry missiles with warheads of multiple kilotons.
• Military analysts compared the blast to 50 kilotons of conventional explosives.