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

Tourism in Denver hit an all-time high last year, bringing in billions in revenue, according to data published Monday by Visit Denver, the city's tourism arm. —Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 16 July 2024

Amazon warehouse in Shakopee fined by OSHA Amazon warehouse in Shakopee fined by OSHA 00:27 Amazon's annual Prime Day promotion kicked off on Tuesday, with the event offering deals for members and generating billions in revenue for the retailer. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 16 July 2024

The company has experienced several rounds of layoffs, including in the lead up to the merger between Warner Media and Discovery, and following, as CEO David Zaslav looked to find billions in cost savings post-merger. —Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 July 2024

California will need billions of dollars in state, federal and private investments, streamlined city and county permitting processes, major power grid upgrades and accelerated efforts by utilities to connect chargers to the grid. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 16 July 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