definitions

billion

[ bil-yuh n ]
/ ˈbɪl yən /
|

noun, plural bil·lions, (as after a numeral) bil·lion.

a cardinal number represented in the U.S. by 1 followed by 9 zeros, and in Great Britain by 1 followed by 12 zeros.
a very large number: I've told you so billions of times.

adjective

equal in number to a billion.

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RELATED WORDS

lots, tons, abundance, masses, scads, plenty, heaps, piles, gobs, loads, thousands, millions, many

Nearby words

billing cycle, billing machine, billings, billings method, billingsgate, billion, billionaire, billiton, billman, billon, billow

Origin of billion

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

Related forms

bil·lionth, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for billion

British Dictionary definitions for billion

billion

/ (ˈbɪljən) /

noun plural -lions or -lion

one thousand million: it is written as 1 000 000 000 or 10 9
(formerly, in Britain) one million million: it is written as 1 000 000 000 000 or 10 12
(often plural) any exceptionally large number

determiner

(preceded by a or a cardinal number)
  1. amounting to a billionit seems like a billion years ago
  2. (as pronoun)we have a billion here

Derived Forms

billionth, adjective, noun

Word Origin for billion

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