Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The numerical difference between the upper and lower frequencies of a band of electromagnetic radiation, especially an assigned range of radio frequencies.
  • noun The amount of data that can be passed along a communications channel in a given period of time.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The maximum rate of information transfer (measured in bits/second) that can be carried by a communication channel.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The width, usually measured in hertz, of a frequency band.
  • noun Of a signal, the width of the smallest frequency band within which the signal can fit
  • noun networking The rate of data flow in digital networks typically measured in bits per second
  • noun informal The capacity, energy or time required

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a data transmission rate; the maximum amount of information (bits/second) that can be transmitted along a channel

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

band +‎ width

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Examples

  • This is because the term bandwidth is propaganda aimed towards stretching the painful process of a company with technological and consumer preferences grossly outdated.

    GigaOM Network 2009

  • I loved the late Robert Anton Wilson's use of the term "reality tunnel" and am a big believer that we are all programmed into one or another worldview, but that continual deliberate exposure to ideas outside your bandwidth is the best counter agent against this there is.

    MIND MELD: SF with an Opposing Viewpoint 2008

  • I loved the late Robert Anton Wilson's use of the term "reality tunnel" and am a big believer that we are all programmed into one or another worldview, but that continual deliberate exposure to ideas outside your bandwidth is the best counter agent against this there is.

    September 2008 2008

  • Your paying for this bandwidth is the least of their concerns, profitability is all that counts.

    New Shaw BT throttling claims 2005

  • With satellite Internet the bandwidth is asynchronous – the download is much higher than the upload.

    Satellite Internet Access 2005

  • Try video - where both latency and bandwidth matter - or VOIP where the bandwidth is a measly 64Kbps but where latency matters.

    Smart Mobs » Blog Archive » Intel is making a Mesh Move 2003

  • The term bandwidth, in my experience which is similar to Bleier’s, has many different meanings; in my company, it means the range of products offered.

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

  • The term bandwidth, in my experience which is similar to Bleier’s, has many different meanings; in my company, it means the range of products offered.

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

  • The term bandwidth, in my experience which is similar to Bleier’s, has many different meanings; in my company, it means the range of products offered.

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

  • The term bandwidth, in my experience which is similar to Bleier’s, has many different meanings; in my company, it means the range of products offered.

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

Comments

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  • A term for event planners to determine how wide a stage a band needs.

    October 10, 2008