billon

noun

bil·​lon ˈbi-lən How to pronounce billon (audio)
1
: gold or silver heavily alloyed with a less valuable metal
2
: an alloy of silver containing more than 50 percent of copper by weight

Examples of billon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ives believes infusing more AI into the iPhone, iPad and Mac computer will translate into an additional $450 billon to $600 billion in market value for Apple. Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 10 June 2024 He has even been accused of improperly selling $7.5 billon of those shares late that year knowing that Tesla was due to soon report disappointing sales that would reduce Tesla’s price. Chris Isidore, CNN, 9 June 2024 Indonesia hopes to inaugurate the city this August, but Bloomberg reports that the project faces funding constraints as Indonesia tries to court international investors to cover 80% of its $34 billon cost. Jokowi also tried to leverage the country’s natural resources. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 15 Feb. 2024 The company’s revenue was up 16% year-over-year, to 3.7 billion euros ($3.9 billion) in its fourth quarter, from 3.1 billion euros ($3.3 billon). Bruce Gil, Quartz, 6 Feb. 2024 According to the Financial Times of London, the three brands (TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith) had sales of about CHF 1.6 billon (about $1.9 billion) last year. Carol Besler, Robb Report, 8 Jan. 2024 Moore’s Law: 2.5x Maintaining the progress of Moore’s Law is the subject of billons and billions of dollars of investment, some very complex engineering, and a bunch of international angst. IEEE Spectrum, 7 Sep. 2023 Winning Powerball ticket sold in CA:See winning numbers for $1 billon jackpot When is the next Mega Millions drawing? Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 20 July 2023 An estimated $18-20 billon While the extent of Idalia's destruction remains to be seen, an AccuWeather report estimates the storm is already responsible for $18 billion to $20 billion in damage. Cecilia Garzella, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'billon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from bille log — more at billet

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of billon was in 1716

Dictionary Entries Near billon

Cite this Entry

“Billon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billon. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!