megawatt

IPA/ˈmeɡəwɒt/
KK[mˈɛɡəwˌɑt]IPA/ˈmeɡəwɑːt/

megawatt — noun

  • megawattsingular
  • megawattsplural

1. a way to measure how much electric power something can produce or use, with one

1.nounC1
Definition

a way to measure how much electric power something can produce or use, with one megawatt being the same as a million watts; the term is normally applied to large generators such as power stations and wind farms.

Example

The new solar farm near Hui's village can supply about 80 megawatts at peak sunlight.

[number] megawatts of [power] for output capacity

Engineers told Ayana that the wind turbines on the hillside could generate fifteen megawatts together.

verb 'generate' + numeric megawatt amount

Common collocations
  • produce megawatts
  • generate megawatts
  • [N]-megawatt power plant
  • [N] megawatts of electricity
Synonyms
  • MW

    standard abbreviation used in technical writing and on equipment labels

Grammar Patterns

a [number] megawatt [facility/plant]

[number] megawatts of [power/electricity]

Usage Note

Used for large-scale electrical capacity. Distinguish from 'megawatt-hour' (MWh), which measures energy delivered over time, not instantaneous power.

Common Mistakes

The lamp uses two megawatts.
The lamp uses two watts.
megawatts describe industrial-scale power, not household appliances.
The plant produced 500 megawatts last year.
The plant produced 500 megawatt-hours last year.
total output over time is measured in megawatt-hours, not megawatts.

Word family

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a [N]-megawatt facility
  • [N] megawatts of capacity
  • produce / generate / supply megawatts

Prepositions

  • of (megawatts of electricity / power / capacity)

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Formed in the early 20th century from the prefix 'mega-' (meaning one million, from the Greek 'megas' for great) combined with 'watt', the SI unit of power named after the Scottish engineer James Watt. The compound came into use as electrical generating stations grew large enough that ordinary watts and kilowatts were too small to describe their output conveniently.