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.

Words nearby billion

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

OTHER WORDS FROM billion

bil·lionth, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for billion

Using standard methods, the cost of printing DNA could run upwards of a billion dollars or more, depending on the strand.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And as a bonus, they send home more than $20 billion in remittances each year.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The amount of vanished bitcoins was 650,000 BTC (or 24.7 billion yen).
Japanese Bitcoin Heist ‘an Inside Job,’ Not Hackers Alone|Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky, Jake Adelstein|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Why else would $4 billion have been spent on the midterm election?
When Will We See a #Millennial Congress?|Linda Killian|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Among other things, the bill appropriates $1.1 trillion in funding—including over $550 billion for the Department of Defense.
Merry Christmas, Defense Contractors!|Veronique de Rugy|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Suppose I fixed up a storage-pack to give me a field with a few billion watts in it?
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
The trade of Germany and the United States has increased from 7.6 to 38 billion marks.
New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2|Various
And the continued high interest rates last year cost the government about $5 billion more than anticipated.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various
A total of $2 billion in Federal grants will ultimately be required to finance these 955 projects.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various
We cut $255 billion in spending, including entitlements, in over 340 separate budget items.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various

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, 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

billion

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

adjective

Words related to billion

Words nearby billion

Origin of billion

OTHER WORDS FROM billion

Examples from the Web for billion

British Dictionary definitions for billion

noun plural -lions or -lion

determiner

Derived forms of billion

Word Origin for billion