billon
Americannoun
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an alloy used in coinage, consisting of gold or silver with a larger amount of base metal.
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an alloy of silver with copper or the like, used for coins of small denomination.
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any coin struck from such an alloy.
noun
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an alloy consisting of gold or silver and a base metal, usually copper, used esp for coinage
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any coin made of such an alloy
Etymology
Origin of billon
1720–30; < French: debased metal, originally ingot, equivalent to Middle French bille log ( see billet 2) + -on noun suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The estimated $905-million jackpot is the eighth-largest in Powerball history, with the largest two being $2.04 billion in November 2022 and $1.8 billon in December 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
For the year, sales rose 5.6% to $75.05 billon.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 29, 2026
Food delivery operating loss per order is expected to rise in 4Q, resulting in a segment loss of around 13 billon yuan, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
US business royalty sat down with UK royalty and served up a £150 billon investment into the UK over the coming years.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2025
Red brick buildings as well as mud brick, coins: billon tetradrachms in 1st cent., almost copper in 2nd, small copper dumps in 3rd, leaden tokens from A.D.
From How to Observe in Archaeology by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
