billion

noun

bil·​lion ˈbi(l)-yən 

1

US : a number equal to 1,000 million see Table of Numbers

also, British : a number equal to 1,000 milliard see Table of Numbers

2

: a very large number

billion adjective

billionth

ˈbi(l)-yən(t)th 

adjective or noun

Did you know?

How much is a billion? It might depend on whom you ask. Billion was borrowed from French in the late 1600s to indicate the number one million raised to the power of two, or a million million—a number represented by a 1 followed by 12 zeros. However, the French later changed their naming conventions so that a billion became a thousand million (a 1 followed by 9 zeros) and a trillion became a thousand thousand million (or a million million, the old billion). The French have since returned to the older system, but it was this new system that was adopted by American English speakers in the 1800s. In Britain, the newer system has seen increasing use since the 1950s, but the older sense is still sometimes used there as well.

Examples of billion in a Sentence

We could see a billion stars in the sky.

Recent Examples on the Web

That is why the U.S. government estimates that the human smuggling industry is earning billions of dollars annually. —Matt Rivers, ABC News, 10 June 2024

If the United States wants to keep building electric cars without depending on China, then Washington will need to capitalize on the new bipartisan battery consensus to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars to extract and process minerals. —Daniel Baer, Foreign Affairs, 7 June 2024

Billionaires with Charlotte connections In addition to North Carolina residents with billions, some with strong ties to Charlotte also made Forbes’ 2023 richest persons list. —Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 7 June 2024

Scientists use complex computerized models, with billions of data points, to evaluate everything from ocean currents to the carbon sequestration within soil to the ripple-down impact of cleaner air or melting glaciers. —Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from bi- + -illion (as in million)

First Known Use

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing billion

• never/not in a thousand/million/billion years

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Kids Definition

billion

noun

bil·​lion ˈbil-yən 

1

: a number equal to 1,000 million : 1,000,000,000 see number

2

: a very large number

billion adjective

billionth

-yən(t)th 

adjective or noun