trillion

[tril-yuhn]

noun

plural

trillions ,

plural

trillion .

1. a cardinal number represented in the U.S. by 1 followed by 12 zeros, and in Great Britain by 1 followed by 18 zeros.

adjective

1. amounting to one trillion in number.

trillion

/ ˈtrɪljən /

noun

1. the number represented as one followed by twelve zeros (10 ¹² ); a million million

2. (formerly, in Britain) the number represented as one followed by eighteen zeros (10 ¹⁸ ); a million million million

3. (often plural) an exceptionally large but unspecified number

determiner

1. 1. amounting to a trillion

      a trillion stars

   2. ( as pronoun )

      there are three trillion

Other Word Forms

• trillionth noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of trillion¹

1680–90; < French, equivalent to tr ( i )- tri- + ( m ) illion million

Word History and Origins

Origin of trillion¹

C17: from French, on the model of million

Example Sentences

Yet the CBO and JCT, whose work shapes trillions of dollars in federal policy affecting every American household, are held to a far lower standard.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Alphabet’s stock neared a $4 trillion valuation for the first time following a report Google is in talks to sell AI chips to Meta.

Read more on Barron's

Alphabet’s stock neared a $4 trillion valuation for the first time following a report Google is in talks to sell AI chips to Meta.

Read more on Barron's

It’s enough to make a $2.5 trillion company look like a bargain.

Read more on Barron's

“Administrative, financial and professional-services” jobs, currently worth $1.2 trillion in annual pay, can also be replaced partly or totally by AI, they note.

Read more on MarketWatch