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
Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 May 2026
Rioters on your side killed people and did billions in economic damage.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
Chinese companies have also invested billions into a copper and gold mine and a steel plant -- bringing China's share of foreign direct investment to Serbia to 32% in 2024, up from 2% more than a decade ago.
—Misha Savic, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
Once SpaceX goes public, all that liability transfers to public shareholders, who will inherit billions in obligations from a deal struck while the company was still private.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for billion
Cite this Entry
“Billion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billion. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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