billionaire

[ bil-yuh-nair, bil-yuh-nair ]

/ ˌbɪl yəˈnɛər, ˈbɪl yəˌnɛər /

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noun

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

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of billionaire

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

Words nearby billionaire

billing machine, Billings, billingsgate, Billings method, billion, billionaire, Billiton, billman, bill of adventure, bill of attainder, bill of entry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use billionaire in a sentence

That’s what billionaires like Bezos can easily do if they want their money to make the biggest difference.
Can Billionaires Really Save Us from Climate Disaster?|Heather Hansman|February 12, 2021|Outside Online
Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, reported that the center advocates for government deregulation and receives funding from Charles Koch, the billionaire philanthropist whose company is tied to the fossil fuel industry.
George Washington University commits to single-use-plastic ban|Lauren Lumpkin|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
At least five people connected to Moderna and BioNTech are now billionaires, including Bancel.
The next act for messenger RNA could be bigger than covid vaccines|David Rotman|February 5, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The pro-democracy forces were up against a Trumpified Michigan GOP controlled by allies of Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chair, and Betsy DeVos, the former Education Secretary and a member of a billionaire family of GOP donors.
The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election|Molly Ball|February 4, 2021|Time

He hasn’t signed the Giving Pledge, founded by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in 2010, which calls on billionaires to pledge the majority of wealth to charity.
Jeff Bezos stepping down as Amazon CEO, transitioning to executive chair role|Jay Greene, Tony Romm|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
To most of the world, billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is a convicted sex offender and a financial grifter.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The billionaire philanthropist tastes the product of a machine that processes human sewage into drinking water and electricity.
Bill Gates Drinks Sewer Water|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The bromance between the Russian president and the billionaire ex-prime minister of Italy goes way back.
Was Putin’s Midnight Visit to Berlusconi About Bunga Bunga?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The right-leaning tech billionaire offers a look into how Silicon Valley could transform the way we think about politics.
Peter Thiel’s Radical Political Vision|Gregory Ferenstein|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg already had the gun lobby in his sights.
The NRA Pissed Off the Wrong Nerd Genius|Cliff Schecter|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another billionaire, Mr. Carnegie, gives his millions to found libraries.
As A Chinaman Saw Us|Anonymous
The millionaire is a very ordinary individual in America; it is only the billionaire who now really attracts attention.
As A Chinaman Saw Us|Anonymous
I know a billionaire, at least this is his reputation, who has no standing merely because he is vulgar—that is, ill-bred.
As A Chinaman Saw Us|Anonymous
Overnight Ben Wrail had become a billionaire many times over.
Empire|Clifford Donald Simak
Either Pepe would make his move—or I would sail on to my billionaire's paradise planet.
The Misplaced Battleship|Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)

British Dictionary definitions for billionaire

billionaire

/ (ˌbɪljəˈnɛə) /

noun

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

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