million

noun mil·lion \ ˈmi(l)-yən \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Definition of million

plural millions or million

1 : a number equal to 1,000 times 1,000 — see Table of Numbers

2 : a very large number

millions of cars on the road

3 : the mass of common people —used with the

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million

adjective

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millionfold

play \-ˌfōld\ adverb or adjective

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millionth

play \ˈmi(l)-yən(t)th\ adjective or noun

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Recent Examples of million from the Web

Now the challenge for Barbieri and her colleagues will be partnering with cat advocates on how to reduce the hundreds of millions of T. gondii oocysts being shed into the environment by free-roaming cats in Hawai‘i.

— kim steutermann rogers, Smithsonian, "How the Tiniest of Parasites is Taking Down the Mightiest of Monk Seals," 9 July 2018
Surely the suffering or death of one to save millions is justified, no?

— michael shermer, Scientific American, "We’ve Known for 400 Years That Torture Doesn’t Work," 1 May 2017
With a reported 20 millions views earned in the video's first 24 hours out on a global platform like YouTube, there is much to indicate this is connecting the group to new audiences and listeners.

— jeff benjamin, Billboard, "TWICE Prove How Bubblegum K-Pop Can Have Major Western Appeal With 'Dance the Night Away'," 12 July 2018
Furth made a fortune with his law practice and lived a flamboyant lifestyle, yet gave away millions to endow a small Catholic primary school in San Francisco in memory of his late daughter.

— carl nolte, SFChronicle.com, "Memorial set for Fred Furth, noted SF attorney and Sonoma County vintner," 11 July 2018
The board of Invest Atlanta approved a $22 million tax break over 10 years, and UPS could also get millions more in tax breaks for the creation of full-time jobs.

— kelly yamanouchi, ajc, "UPS hiring thousands of workers for massive hub on westside of Atlanta," 11 July 2018
There will be many millions of pixels wasted in the name of debating whether ABC was right or wrong to terminate Roseanne Barr’s eponymous sitcom after the comedian likened a former White House official of black ancestry to an ape.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Roseanne Barr and the new political correctness," 29 May 2018
But millions who saw the video online had already rendered judgment.

— cleve r. wootson jr., Washington Post, "Police say woman screamed racial slurs and smacked a black teen at a pool. She lost her job.," 2 July 2018
Every single day, hundreds of millions of people are carrying a high quality camera in their pockets but there has been no corresponding explosion in UFO photos or video.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "70 Years and Counting, the UFO Phenomenon Is as Mysterious As Ever," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'million.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of million

Middle English milioun, from Middle French milion, from Old Italian milione, augmentative of mille thousand, from Latin

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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MILLION Defined for English Language Learners

million

noun

Definition of million for English Language Learners

: the number 1,000,000
: a very large amount or number

MILLION Defined for Kids

million

noun mil·lion \ ˈmil-yən \

Definition of million for Students

1 : one thousand thousands : 1,000,000

2 : a very large number

millions of mosquitoes

million

adjective

Definition of million for Students

1 : being 1,000,000

a million dollars

2 : being very great in number

a million questions

Learn More about million

See words that rhyme with million Spanish Central: Translation of million Nglish: Translation of million for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of million for Arabic speakers

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million

Definition of million

million

millionfold

millionth

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Origin and Etymology of million

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MILLION Defined for English Language Learners

million

Definition of million for English Language Learners

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million

Definition of million for Students

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