billion
noun
Did you know?
How much is a billion? It might depend on whom you ask. Billion was borrowed from French in the late 1600s to indicate the number one million raised to the power of two, or a million million—a number represented by a 1 followed by 12 zeros. However, the French later changed their naming conventions so that a billion became a thousand million (a 1 followed by 9 zeros) and a trillion became a thousand thousand million (or a million million, the old billion). The French have since returned to the older system, but it was this new system that was adopted by American English speakers in the 1800s. In Britain, the newer system has seen increasing use since the 1950s, but the older sense is still sometimes used there as well.
Examples of billion in a Sentence
James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
The airline manufacturer has paid billions in settlements resulting from Lion Air Flight 610, which killed 189 people in 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which killed 157 people in 2019.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 17 May 2025
States like Florida could be forced to assume billions in costs for health care and disaster preparedness.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2025
After billions of dollars and eight years of planning and construction, its formal premiere sets a new standard for the 21st century theme park.
—Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for billion
Cite this Entry
“Billion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billion. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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