billion

[ bil-yuhn ]
See synonyms for: billionbillions on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural bil·lions, (as after a numeral) bil·lion.
  1. a cardinal number represented in the U.S. by 1 followed by 9 zeros, and in Great Britain by 1 followed by 12 zeros.

  2. a very large number: I've told you so billions of times.

adjective
  1. equal in number to a billion.

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Origin of billion

1
1680–90; <French, equivalent to b(i)- bi-1 + -illion, as in million

Other words from billion

  • billionth, adjective, noun

Words Nearby billion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use billion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for billion

billion

/ (ˈbɪljən) /


nounplural -lions or -lion
  1. one thousand million: it is written as 1 000 000 000 or 10 9

  2. (formerly, in Britain) one million million: it is written as 1 000 000 000 000 or 10 12

  1. (often plural) any exceptionally large number

determiner
  1. (preceded by a or a cardinal number)

    • amounting to a billion: it seems like a billion years ago

    • (as pronoun): we have a billion here

Origin of billion

1
C17: from French, from bi- 1 + -llion as in million

Derived forms of billion

  • billionth, adjective, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012