eon
Americannoun
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an indefinitely long period of time; age.
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the largest division of geologic time, comprising two or more eras.
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Astronomy. one billion years.
noun
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the usual US spelling of aeon
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geology the longest division of geological time, comprising two or more eras
Usage
What does eon mean? Eon is commonly used in a general way to refer to an indefinitely long period of time. Outside of science, people usually use eon as a way to exaggerate how long something took to happen or how long something lasted.In the context of geology, eon refers to the largest division of geological time. Technically speaking, an eon is made up of two or more eras, which consist of several periods, which are divided into epochs.All of these units of time vary as to their exact length, but most consist of at least millions of years, with eons lasting billions or hundreds of millions of years.In the context of astronomy, an eon is one billion years.Example: It took me eons to get a straight answer as to how long an eon actually is.
Etymology
Origin of eon
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.
But it would be three long years — a veritable eon during that pre-MTV era — before Harrison released the LP’s worthy successor.
From Salon • Nov. 15, 2024
WIMBLEDON, England — The streak lived for 132 days or, in tennis time, an eon.
From Washington Post • Jul. 2, 2022
When I started reporting on elections an eon ago, smartphones didn’t exist and a desktop was a typewriter.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2022
In the eon between 1.8 and 0.8 billion years ago—a time dubbed the "boring billion"—the continents seemed to grow progressively thinner.
From National Geographic • Feb. 11, 2021
Some rules of grammar may shift every eon or so, but you can bet the bank that this one will never change: Subject and verb must agree.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
