billion
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
Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 14 Nov. 2025
The irony is companies are spending tens of billions of dollars on database and analytics infrastructure, yet starving the one layer that actually makes AI economically viable.
—Jg Chirapurath, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025
After Massachusetts voters chose to impose a new tax on millionaires, the state brought in billions of dollars in revenue for things like free school meals and community college, and the millionaires haven’t fled.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Prominent voices in the market— from Bill Gates to Michael Burry to Jim Chanos — have spoken out this month, highlighting concerns and asking whether the hundreds of billions promised to be invested in AI will all prove profitable.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billion
Cite this Entry
“Billion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billion. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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