Meaning & use
megabyte
Last updated
UK/ˈmeɡəbaɪt/
US/ˈmeɡəbaɪt/
Meaning
nouncountable
a unit of computer memory or data size equal to approximately one million bytes
Grammar: Countable: a megabyte, two megabytes. Often written as MB.
Patterns
- a megabyte of something
- X megabytes of data
- measured in megabytes
This photo is about 2 megabytes in size.
The old computer had only 4 megabytes of memory.
Downloading the file used 50 megabytes of data.
Word forms
| plural | megabytes |
|---|
Common combinations
- megabytes of data
- The app uses several megabytes of data per hour.
- megabytes per second
- The internet speed is 100 megabytes per second.
- a few megabytes
- The document is only a few megabytes, so it will send quickly.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- gigabyte noun
- a unit of data equal to about 1,000 megabytes
- kilobyte noun
- a unit of data equal to about 1,000 bytes
Commonly confused: megabyte or megabit?
megabyte vs megabit
A megabit is one eighth of a megabyte; used for internet speeds, not file sizes.
Practice
The video file is 500 ______, so it won't fit on the small drive.
Choose one answer.
After a number greater than one, use the plural 'megabytes'. 'Megabyte' is singular, and the other options are not real forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “megabyte”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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