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
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 14 Mar. 2026
After two weeks of war in Iran, hundreds of people have been killed, millions more displaced and billions of dollars have been spent.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 14 Mar. 2026
The European Space Agency telescope is designed to make a 3D map of the universe by looking at billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light years away across one third of the sky.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
Manmade solutions cost billions and will not protect future generations in perpetuity.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 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 16 Mar. 2026.
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