billion
1 synonyms and 0 antonyms for billion, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Num — A thousand million: 1,000,000,000 (10⁹), the standard modern meaning.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use billion
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From French billion, formed from bi- ("two") plus -illion. Older British usage once meant a million million (10¹²), but the "thousand million" meaning is now standard worldwide.
Full origin of billion →Frequently asked questions
What does “billion” mean?
The word “billion” means a thousand million: 1,000,000,000 (10⁹), the standard modern meaning. In plain terms, the number 1,000,000,000, or loosely, "a huge number.".
How do you pronounce “billion”?
“Billion” is pronounced BIHL-yuhn (/ˈbɪljən/ in IPA).
How do you use “billion” in a sentence?
Here is “billion” used in a sentence: “The company is now worth over a billion dollars.”
What part of speech is “billion”?
“Billion” is a num.
Where does the word “billion” come from?
The word “billion” comes from French. From French billion, formed from bi- ("two") plus -illion. Older British usage once meant a million million (10¹²), but the "thousand million" meaning is now standard worldwide.
Is “billion” a common word?
“Billion” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
How many meanings does “billion” have?
“Billion” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a thousand million: 1,000,000,000 (10⁹), the standard modern meaning.
How many millions are in a billion?
A billion equals one thousand million, so there are exactly 1,000 millions in a single billion. Written out in full it is 1,000,000,000. Counting upward, a thousand thousands make a million, and a thousand of those millions add up to one billion.
What is the difference between a billion and a trillion?
A billion is a thousand million (10⁹), while a trillion is a thousand billion (10¹²) — a thousand times larger. In figures, a billion has nine zeros and a trillion has twelve. So a trillion dwarfs a billion in the same way a billion dwarfs a million.
Does a billion mean the same thing in every country?
Today, almost everywhere, a billion means a thousand million (10⁹) — the short-scale value used in finance and science worldwide. Historically, though, some European countries used a 'long scale' where a billion meant a million million (10¹²). The modern thousand-million meaning is now the accepted standard.
How many zeros are in a billion?
A billion has nine zeros: 1,000,000,000. You can picture it as a one followed by nine zeros, or as the numeral 1 with three groups of three zeros after it. That makes it a thousand times bigger than a million, which has six zeros.