MB
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Megabyte |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Units & Measurements, Geography & Places, Texting & Internet Slang, Science & Engineering |
| Also written | Mb |
MB has five meanings. The most common are Megabyte (data unit) and Manitoba (Canadian province and territory); it can also stand for Megabit, My bad and Megabase.
Meanings of MB at a glance
| # | MB stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Megabyte | Units & Measurements › Data Unit |
| 2 | Manitoba | Geography & Places › Canadian Province and Territory |
| 3 | Megabit | Units & Measurements › Data Unit |
| 4 | My bad | Texting & Internet Slang › Texting and Chat |
| 5 | Megabase | Science & Engineering › Genetics |
1. Megabyte
Units & Measurements · Data Unit Abbreviations
One million bytes in decimal (SI) usage, or 1,048,576 bytes (2^20) in the traditional binary sense. Photos, songs, app downloads and email attachments are typically measured in megabytes; a three-minute MP3 is about 3 to 5 MB.
Example: Gmail limits attachments to 25 MB; larger files are sent as Google Drive links.
The two competing definitions led the IEC to create the mebibyte (MiB) for the binary value. The classic "1.44 MB" floppy disk actually held 1,474,560 bytes, mixing both definitions (1.44 × 1,000 × 1,024). Do not confuse MB with Mb (megabit), one eighth the size: divide an internet speed in Mbps by eight to estimate download speed in MB per second.
2. Manitoba
Geography & Places · Canadian Province and Territory Abbreviations
Prairie province that entered Confederation on July 15, 1870, after the Red River Resistance led by Louis Riel. Winnipeg is the capital and home to more than half the population, Churchill on Hudson Bay is known for polar bears, and postal codes begin with R.
Example: Return the signed lease to the property manager in Winnipeg MB R3C 4T3.
The traditional abbreviation is Man., used by Canadian Press after city names. Manitoba's name probably comes from Cree or Ojibwe words for the strait of the spirit. MB also means megabyte, so data fields should be labeled clearly.
3. Megabit (Mb)
Units & Measurements · Data Unit Abbreviations
One million bits, the unit behind broadband, Wi-Fi and cellular speeds (Mb/s or Mbps). It is one eighth of a megabyte, so downloading a 100 MB file takes at least 8 seconds on a 100 Mb/s line.
Example: The plan offers 300 Mb download and 20 Mb upload speeds for $55 a month.
The lowercase b separates megabits from megabytes (MB), a factor of eight that internet providers benefit from because bit figures look bigger. Streaming bitrates are also given in megabits per second; 4K video services typically recommend about 15 to 25 Mb/s. Memory chips were long sized in megabits as well.
4. My bad
Texting & Internet Slang · Texting and Chat Abbreviations
Admits a small mistake and apologizes casually, as in "mb, wrong chat." Common in texting and especially in gaming, where it is typed after an error that hurt the team.
Example: Mb, I sent the wrong address, it's 42 Elm Street.
"My bad" became widespread American slang in the 1990s. The abbreviation works for minor slips; for real mistakes, a fuller apology is better. In technology MB means megabyte, so a number before it ("5 MB") signals the data unit.
5. Megabase (Mb)
Science & Engineering · Genetics Abbreviations
One million base pairs, the unit used for chromosome lengths, large deletions and genome sizes. Human chromosome 1, the largest, is about 249 Mb, and the bacterium E. coli has a genome of about 4.6 Mb.
Example: The microarray detected a 1.5 Mb deletion on chromosome 22q11.2.
Also written Mbp. Larger genomes are measured in gigabases (Gb). Context distinguishes it from Mb meaning megabit in computing and networking.
Related abbreviations
More data unit abbreviations
- KB – Kilobyte
- kbps – Kilobits per second
- KiB – Kibibyte
- lpi – Lines per inch
- MB/s – Megabytes per second
- Mbps – Megabits per second
- MiB – Mebibyte
- MP – Megapixel
See all 36 data unit abbreviations →