MP3

American  

1. the file extension for MPEG Audio Layer-3, a set of standards for compressing and downloading audio files from the internet.

2. a file compressed in this format.

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MP3 British  

abbreviation

1. MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3: tradename for software created by the Motion Picture Experts Group that enables files to be compressed quickly to 10% or less of their original size for storage on disk or hard drive or esp for transfer across the internet

2. an audio or video file created in this way

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MP3 Scientific  

/ ĕm′pē-thrē′ /

1. An MPEG standard used especially for transmitting music digitally over the Internet. Many programs are available to facilitate the transfer of these files, but there are numerous legal issues regarding the swapping of files and violation of copyright laws.

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MP3 Cultural  

1. A file containing compressed digital audio data, often used to transmit music over the Internet.

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Etymology

Origin of MP3

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Once Microsoft and Apple began providing free video players with their PC software, however, along with the arrival of the MP3 format, RealNetworks’ business model collapsed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

The peer-to-peer service — where fans swapped catalogs of MP3 song files — walloped the record business.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2024

The result feels like a low-quality MP3, full of digital artifacts.

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2023

On it went: The toilet, coffee, the Declaration of Independence, the lightbulb, dishwashers, the moon landing, MP3 players, and … FTX, “a safe and easy way to get into crypto.”

From Slate • Nov. 10, 2022

There was hardly a day that he didn’t tip me off to some new website or evolving phenomenon like the rise of the MP3 online music movement.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz