billion

[bil-yuhn]

noun

plural

billions ,

plural

billion .

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.

billion

/ ˈbɪljən /

noun

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

3. (often plural) any exceptionally large number

determiner

1. (preceded by a or a cardinal number)

   1. amounting to a billion

      it seems like a billion years ago

   2. ( as pronoun )

      we have a billion here

Other Word Forms

• billionth adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of billion¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of billion¹

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

Example Sentences

The huge trial will have ramifications for other manufacturers, potentially paving the way for "billions of pounds" in compensation, said Martyn Day, lawyer at Leigh Day representing the claimants.

Read more on Barron's

Oracle has roared into the AI gold rush—inking a $300 billion deal with OpenAI External link, according to The Wall Street Journal—but with that comes huge costs and risks.

Read more on Barron's

Yeah, the economy is remarkably resilient, but that is largely the result of massive tax cuts and government spending that is adding billions of dollars in new debt.

Read more on Barron's

The losses forced the plan to assess its member carriers $1 billion to pay its claims, half of which could be recouped from the carriers’ own customers across the state.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The U.S. and other countries are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into data centers, making AI a key economic engine.

Read more on Wall Street Journal