million

noun

mil·​lion ˈmi(l)-yən 

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

million adjective

millionfold

ˈmi(l)-yən-ˌfōld 

adverb or adjective

millionth

ˈmi(l)-yən(t)th 

adjective or noun

Synonyms of million

• people
• populace
• public
• crowd
• mass

Examples of million in a Sentence

intellectuals sneered that television was a medium clearly aimed at the millions

Recent Examples on the Web

The famine, imposed by Soviet leader Josef Stalin in the early 1930s, led to millions of deaths from starvation. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025

Carved over millions of years by the Colorado River, the canyon’s layers are like a time capsule of the planet’s history. —Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 22 Nov. 2025

The demand for real Christmas trees creates the need for millions of new trees to be planted every year. —Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2025

The company runs thousands of clinical studies and draws on information from hundreds of millions of patient records, lab results and research programs. —Gabriel Snyder, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing million

• look/feel like a million dollars/bucks
• never/not in a thousand/million/billion years
• one in a million
• thanks a bunch/lot/million
• thanks a million

Rhymes for million

• billion
• pillion
• trillion
• castilian
• civilian
• cotillion
• pavilion
• postilion
• quadrillion
• reptilian
• vermilion
• vermillion

Kids Definition

million

noun

mil·​lion ˈmil-yən 

plural millions or million

1

: a number equal to 1,000 times 1,000 see number

2

: a very great number

millions of mosquitoes

million adjective

millionth

-yən(t)th 

adjective or noun