billion
[ bil-yuhn ]
/ 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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Origin of billion
OTHER WORDS FROM billion
billionth, adjective, nounWords nearby billion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences 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)
- amounting to a billionit seems like a billion years ago
- (as pronoun)we have a billion here
Derived forms of billion
billionth, adjective, nounWord Origin for billion
C17: from French, from bi- 1 + -llion as in million
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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