billionaire

American  

[bil-yuh-nair, bil-yuh-nair] / ˌbɪl jəˈnɛər, ˈbɪl jəˌnɛər /

noun

• billionaires
  plural

1. a person who has assets worth a billion or more dollars, euros, etc.

---

billionaire British  

/ ˌbɪljəˈnɛə /

noun

1. a person whose assets are worth over a billion of the monetary units of his country

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• billionaires
  plural

Etymology

Origin of billionaire

First recorded in 1855–60, billion + -aire, on the model of millionaire

Explanation

Someone who lives in the U.S. and has money, property, and investments worth at least a billion dollars is a billionaire. Being a billionaire is dependent on a country's currency; in Europe, a net worth of a billion Euros makes someone a billionaire. There are around 2,500 Americans in this category, each possessing at least $1 billion — or a thousand million dollars. During the pandemic, U.S. billionaires increased their wealth by than $1.7 trillion dollars. The French billion was originally defined as "a million million," from bi-, "two," and million, but that was altered to "a thousand million."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

billionaire billionaires

Since then, Modi has announced fast-track courts to try those accused in the leaks and appointed a tech billionaire to lead efforts to reform the examination system.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

The 66-year-old billionaire also took a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers last year and owns the Chelsea soccer team in the English Premier League.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

But the billionaire Republican former real estate mogul has recently been more encouraging towards the Ukrainian leader.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

I never begrudge anyone who is a millionaire or billionaire his money—he or she has developed vital products for the masses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

I guess six thousand dollars—to me, an unconquerable mountain—isn’t even worth a second thought when you’re a billionaire.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Cavanagh said he wanted to look at extreme power and wealth in America the influence of multi billionaires.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

No counterculture event is more shrouded in hype than this annual gathering of thrill-seekers, Instagram influencers, billionaires and whichever artists can still afford to attend.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Chey quaffed whiskey at a fried chicken restaurant last month with the gusto of two billionaires at the pinnacle of the world’s AI investment bonanza.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

There is some benefit if the children are eligible for “free” seed money, such as from taxpayers or from billionaires, charities and employers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

It’s a rags-to-riches story, and everything we’ve learned so far from hockey players and software billionaires and the Termites suggests that success doesn’t happen that way.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell