millionaire
Americannoun
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a person whose wealth amounts to a million or more in some unit of currency, as dollars.
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any very rich person.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of millionaire
1820–30; < French millionnaire, equivalent to million million + -aire -ary
Compare meaning
How does millionaire compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A millionaire is someone who has at least a million dollars. If you're a millionaire, you are incredibly wealthy — but not as rich as a billionaire. In U.S., if you have a million dollars — or things that are worth that much, like a million-dollar house — you're a millionaire. In the U.K., a millionaire has a million pounds. This word describes a specific amount of wealth, but it's also a metaphor for "rich," so you might say, "My neighbors are millionaires — they travel to foreign countries all the time!" The first American millionaire was John Jacob Astor, who earned his riches from 18th-century fur trading.
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.
See Examples For:
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 get $1,460 in Social Security’: My millionaire ex-husband, 74, refuses to pay alimony.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
Around 44,000 people fled the swanky Cap Ferret peninsula south of Bordeaux, known for its millionaire residences.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
A consortium led by British-Indian millionaire businessman Amit Bhatia has expressed an interest in buying a minority stake in Liverpool.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
There had been its original purchase by an American millionaire who was crazy about yachting—and an account of the luxurious modern house he had built on this little island off the Devon coast.
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
In fact, three-quarters of millionaires have an adviser, the study concluded — more than double the rate of the average American.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
The majority of prospective new members are likely millionaires, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of candidates’ personal financial disclosures.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
More than 100 millionaires have urged the prime minister to make them pay more tax, according to the Daily Mirror.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
As a mature market, the 1.9% growth rate of U.S. millionaires wasn’t the highest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
“Your Aunt Spiker and I are about to become millionaires, and the last thing we want is the likes of you messing things up and getting in the way.”
From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl
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.
