What do kilotons and megatons measure when describing nuclear explosions?

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U.S. hydrogen bomb test in the Marshall Islands — nuclear weapon A test of a U.S. thermonuclear weapon (hydrogen bomb) at Enewetak atoll in the Marshall Islands, November 1, 1952.

Kilotons and megatons are units used to measure the explosive yield, or total energy release, of nuclear weapons. These measurements are based on the explosive force of trinitrotoluene (TNT):

Kiloton: One kiloton is equivalent to the explosive force of 1,000 tons of TNT. This unit is typically used to describe the yield of atomic bombs.12
Megaton: One megaton is equivalent to the explosive force of 1,000,000 tons of TNT. This unit is frequently used to express the much greater power of hydrogen bombs (thermonuclear weapons).2

While thermonuclear bombs can reach yields of more than 50 megatons, the weapons currently mounted on strategic missiles generally range from 100 kilotons to 1.5 megatons.2