trillion

noun

tril·​lion ˈtri(l)-yən 

1

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

2

: an indeterminately large number

a trillion mosquitoes out tonight

trillion adjective

trillionth

ˈtri(l)-yən(t)th 

adjective or noun

Examples of trillion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Seventeen years and trillions of dollars later, that idea has never been more important. — Dana P. Goldman, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026

Cryptocurrency companies can continue to pay interest-like rewards to customers, federal regulators said Wednesday, despite warnings from banks that such programs could drain trillions of dollars in deposits from the banking system. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

In China, trillions of dollars of off-the-books debt have piled up at the local rather than the national level, as local governments borrowed public funds to invest in residential real estate and infrastructure. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026

The kingdom, and its neighbors like the UAE and Qatar, have pitched themselves as not just sources of capital, but as a safe home for trillions in financial assets, data centers, and new industries. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1745, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for trillion

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

Kids Definition

trillion

noun

tril·​lion ˈtril-yən 

1

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

2

: a very large number

a trillion mosquitoes out tonight

trillion adjective

trillionth

-yən(t)th 

adjective

trillionth noun