Billion

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɪljÉ™n/
• Rhymes: -ɪljÉ™n
• Hyphenation: bil + lion

Origin

From French billion

Noun

1. (US, modern British & Australian, w, Long and short scales, short scale) A milliard, a thousand million: 1 followed by nine zeros, 10

• 2013-05-25, No hiding place, In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result.
1. (obsolete, British & Australian, w, Long and short scales, long scale) A million million: a 1 followed by twelve zeros, 10

1. (colloquial, in the plural, hyperbole) A very large number.
   There were billions of people at the concert.

Derived terms

• billionaire

Related terms

• trillion, coined at same time