billion

American  

[bil-yuhn] / ˈbɪl yən /

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.

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adjective

1. equal in number to a billion.

billion British  

/ 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

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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

Etymology

Origin of billion

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

Compare meaning

How does billion compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• billion vs. trillion

Example Sentences

The cooling technology flushes ocean water through the plant to absorb heat and discharges it, killing what the Coastal Commission estimated to be two billion fish each year.

From Los Angeles Times

Paramount’s updated proposal contained several key sweeteners, including a commitment from tech billionaire Larry Ellison, through his Ellison Trust, to guarantee $45.7 billion in equity financing.

From Los Angeles Times

Nathan Hochman is investigating the lawyers involved in the historic payout and claimed last week that he anticipated the probe could save the county “hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars.”

From Los Angeles Times

The completion of the this phase, budgeted at $3.7 billion, comes months later than earlier projections.

From Los Angeles Times

“But here we’re trying to build a company for a very long time,” he added, and that in the long term, the company’s goal is to educate “billions” of people.

From MarketWatch