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
Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
On February 17, 2026, billions of people worldwide will celebrate the Lunar New Year (also known as the Spring Festival) following the lunisolar calendar.
—Phoebe Fry, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Feb. 2026
Silver also acknowledged the overwhelming size of this task, given that roughly 80 countries allow betting on the NBA while billions more are wagered illegally.
—Greg Beacham, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
And thousands of Texas businesses and homeowners say the energy companies owe them billions of dollars for property damages.
—Mark Curriden, Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for billion
Cite this Entry
“Billion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billion. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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