kilobit

[ kil-uh-bit ]

noun

, Computers.

1. 1024 (2 10 ) bits. bit.
2. (loosely) 1000 bits. bit. : Kb

kilobit

/ ˈkɪləˌbɪt /

noun

1. (in general computer contexts, such as data transfer) 1000 bits
2. (in data-storage contexts) 1024 bits

kilobit

/ kĭl′ə-bĭt′ /

1. One thousand bits.
2. 1,024 (that is, 2 ¹⁰) bits.
3. See Note at megabyte

Word History and Origins

Origin of kilobit¹

First recorded in 1960–65; kilo- + bit ³

Example Sentences

Data will travel back to Earth at 50 kilobits per second, meaning low quality images from the Moon, used to help drive the rover, will take a minute to get to Earth.

From BBC

As a result New Horizons can only transmit data at about 1 kilobit per second.

From The Guardian

The kilobits and microseconds they worry over are multiplied as much as a billionfold in data centers around the world—loud, hot, warehouse-size buildings whose unending racks of processors are cooled by vats of water.

From The New Yorker

New York Magazine trumpeted a “Wall Street Wonderland,” and cooed that stodgy Wall Street would soon have blazing web speeds of 128 kilobits per second, accessible somewhere called a “cyber cafe.”

From New York Times

At a data rate of less than 30 kilobits per second, there is simply no point in trying to feed images in the end phase of the mission.

From BBC