1.NounA measure of the strength of an explosion or a bomb based on how many thousand tons of TNT would be needed to produce the same energy. (A derived unit for TNT equivalent.)
"That's a 300-kiloton nuclear warhead."
2.NounOne thousand tons.
One thousand short tons (10³ × 2000 lb).
One thousand long tons (10³ × 2240 lb).
One thousand metric tons (10³ × 2204.6 lb).