million

American  

[mil-yuhn] / ˈmɪl yən /

noun

plural

millions,

plural

million

1. a cardinal number, a thousand times one thousand.

2. a symbol for this number, as 1,000,000 or M̅.

3. millions, a number between 1,000,000 and 999,999,999, as in referring to an amount of money.

   His fortune was in the millions of dollars.

4. the amount of a thousand thousand units of money, as dollars, pounds, or euros.

   The three Dutch paintings fetched a million.

5. a very great number of times.

   Thanks a million.

6. the million(s), the mass of the common people; the multitude.

   poetry for the millions.

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adjective

1. amounting to one million in number.

2. amounting to a very great number.

   a million things to do.

million British  

/ ˈmɪljən /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the product of 1000 multiplied by 1000 See also number

2. a numeral, 1 000 000, 10 ⁶ , M, etc, representing this number

3. informal (often plural) an extremely large but unspecified number, quantity, or amount

   I have millions of things to do

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to a million

      a million light years away

   2. ( as pronoun )

      I can see a million under the microscope

2. informal done for; sunk

million Idioms  

1. see feel like oneself (a million dollars); look like a million dollars; one in a million.

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Other Word Forms

• multimillion noun

Etymology

Origin of million

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English milioun, from Middle French, from Old Italian millione ( Italian milione ), equivalent to mille “thousand” (from Latin mīlle ) + -one, augmentative suffix

Explanation

A million is 1,000,000. It's a large number made of a thousand thousands. If you have a million dollars, you’re a millionaire! The word million comes from the Italian milione, which literally means "a great thousand.” It’s great to have a thousand, but it’s awesome to have a million! A million is a big number but not so big that you don't see it used frequently. In fact, being a millionaire isn’t even a big deal anymore. An online video might be watched by a million viewers, and there are millions of people in big cities like New York City and Chicago.

Example Sentences

The $11 million wouldn’t end the discussion, its leaders say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

If the $11 million option passes, owners of an average home valued at $417,000 would see their property tax bill rise from $5,640 to $8,477, likely over five years, the town says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

The lunar flyby is already NASA’s most viewed live broadcast on YouTube with more than 27 million views.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

He says leaving out 2.7 million voters is such an "absurd proposition".

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Instead, it is more likely that of the roughly twenty-five million people living in the United States in the early 1850s, more than a million were practicing Spiritualism of some kind.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• bank
• lot
• much
• sum
• thousand
• ton
• total
• trillion