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

Ting estimates that the company uses between 500 million and 1 billion tokens to train its models, compared to the trillions used for English-language models, and at a cost of roughly $250,000. — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

There's trillions of dollars sloshing around in data center development. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

These relative trillions, of course, are hard for the human brain to comprehend. — Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2026

Summary Nine major tech firms have committed trillions to AI, largely off-balance-sheet, with global AI debt expected to hit $570 billion by 2026. — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 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