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billion

[ bil-yuhn ]

noun

plural billions, (as after a numeral) billion.
  1. a cardinal number represented in the U.S. by 1 followed by 9 zeros, and in Great Britain by 1 followed by 12 zeros.
  2. a very large number:

    I've told you so billions of times.



adjective

  1. equal in number to a billion.

billion

/ ˈɪə /

noun

  1. one thousand million: it is written as 1 000 000 000 or 10 9
  2. (formerly, in Britain) one million million: it is written as 1 000 000 000 000 or 10 12
  3. often plural any exceptionally large number
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

determiner

  1. preceded by a or a cardinal number
    1. amounting to a billion

      it seems like a billion years ago

    2. ( as pronoun )

      we have a billion here

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈDzԳٳ, adjectivenoun
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Other Word Forms

  • lDzԳٳ adjective noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of billion1

1680–90; < French, equivalent to b ( i )- bi- 1 + -illion, as in million
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Word History and Origins

Origin of billion1

C17: from French, from bi- 1+ -llion as in million
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Compare Meanings

How does billion compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In February, Newsom asked Congress for nearly $40 billion in emergency funding for relief in the wake of January’s devastating Southern California wildfires.

From

Protests across the U.S. — including one in Westwood — drew attention to President Trump’s cutting of billions of dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health.

From

"A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK," Healy said in a statement.

From

With a population of 1.4 billion, China has, in theory, a huge domestic market.

From

Early this year, the president doubled the amount of damages he was seeking to $20 billion.

From

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