billion

noun

bil·​lion ˈbi(l)-yən How to pronounce billion (audio)
1
US : a number equal to 1,000 million see Table of Numbers
also, British : a number equal to 1,000 milliard see Table of Numbers
2
: a very large number
billion adjective
billionth adjective or noun

Did you know?

How much is a billion? It might depend on whom you ask. Billion was borrowed from French in the late 1600s to indicate the number one million raised to the power of two, or a million million—a number represented by a 1 followed by 12 zeros. However, the French later changed their naming conventions so that a billion became a thousand million (a 1 followed by 9 zeros) and a trillion became a thousand thousand million (or a million million, the old billion). The French have since returned to the older system, but it was this new system that was adopted by American English speakers in the 1800s. In Britain, the newer system has seen increasing use since the 1950s, but the older sense is still sometimes used there as well.

Examples of billion in a Sentence

We could see a billion stars in the sky.
Recent Examples on the Web Google and Meta now serve billions of people around the world. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024 As more tech companies pour billions of dollars into the development and rollout of artificial intelligence, Apple has largely been left out of the conversation, with many other tech companies already making big strides in the space. Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 In the roughly two decades that followed these agreements, more than 40,000 factories in the U.S. shut down, around two million workers lost their jobs, and working-class Americans experienced wage stagnation—even while corporations made billions and investors were richly rewarded. Bernie Sanders, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2024 Attorneys from Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, the law firm that led the lawsuit against the Realtors group, say the settlement could save consumers billions of dollars a year in broker fees. Catherine Reagor, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024 Money poured in to drug companies by the billions — from venture capitalists, the stock market, the National Institutes of Health. Catherine Carlock — Boston Globe, STAT, 16 Mar. 2024 The twin Voyager probes were launched on separate dates in 1977 from Cape Canaveral, Florida and have since traveled billions of miles away from Earth. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Elrich’s budget proposal comes as the state continues to roll out the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a landmark law that funnels billions of local and state money toward public schools. Steve Thompson, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Enbridge argues that thousands of jobs and billions in economic output will be lost if Line 5 is shut down. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'billion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from bi- + -illion (as in million)

First Known Use

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of billion was in 1690

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Dictionary Entries Near billion

Cite this Entry

“Billion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billion. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

billion

noun
bil·​lion ˈbil-yən How to pronounce billion (audio)
1
: a number equal to 1,000 million : 1,000,000,000 see number
2
: a very large number
billion adjective
billionth adjective or noun

More from Merriam-Webster on billion

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