billion

noun

bil·​lion ˈbi(l)-yən How to pronounce billion (audio)
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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The most popular video platform garnered billions of views under the #XRP hashtag in November and December, with some influencers suggesting the price of the token could reach $10,000, as retail investors navigated FOMO (fear of missing out) and FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) triggers. Anastasia Chernikova, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024 This cosmic merger is taking place roughly 570 million light-years away from Earth, and has been unfolding over billions of years. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024 Despite fluctuations in consumer demand, animal agriculture receives billions of dollars of public support to ensure its survival in the face of changing consumption habits. Crystal Heath and Gene Baur, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024 That is, of course, artificial intelligence and, specifically, the idea that one day soon big companies across all kinds of industries will be spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI products. Alex Heath, The Verge, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for billion 

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of billion was in 1690

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Dictionary Entries Near billion

Cite this Entry

“Billion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billion. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

billion

noun
bil·​lion ˈbil-yən How to pronounce billion (audio)
1
: a number equal to 1,000 million : 1,000,000,000 see number
2
: a very large number
billion adjective
billionth adjective or noun

More from Merriam-Webster on billion

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