gigawatt

noun

giga·​watt ˈji-gə-ˌwät How to pronounce gigawatt (audio) ˈgi- How to pronounce gigawatt (audio)
: a unit of power equal to one billion watts

Examples of gigawatt in a Sentence

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.
Targeting nuclear growth Deployable Energy stressed that the approach can be configured for applications ranging from megawatts to gigawatts. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Aug. 2026 Memory bottlenecks are also driving up the cost for each additional gigawatt of compute. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026 Gas turbines are the obvious one, with GE Vernova’s backlog reaching 116 gigawatts this summer. — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Morgan Stanley said Equinix and Digital Realty are less exposed because their facilities average roughly 5 to 10 megawatts, far below the gigawatt-scale AI campuses planned by hyperscalers and neocloud operators. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gigawatt

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gigawatt was circa 1962

Rhymes for gigawatt

See All Rhymes for gigawatt

Browse Nearby Words

gigas
gigawatt
gig back
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gigawatt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gigawatt. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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