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
Editorial, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
If some companies, like BP and Total acquiesced, others like Exxon and Conoco packed up and left, writing off $billions and filing international arbitration claims that dissuaded many firms from seeking to establish operations in the country.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
For instance, Schultz has steadfastly fought against performing blood transfusions in the field, despite the federal government’s offer of billions of dollars in grants to pay for them.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
Trump also alleged that billions of dollars have been stolen from the state.
—Kyla Guilfoil, NBC news, 24 Jan. 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 28 Jan. 2026.
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