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
Benjamin Roulston, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2024
The approval paves the way for the aerospace manufacturer to resume production on its flagship airliners and start recovering from significant financial strain amounting to billions of dollars.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
With billions in dry powder and balance sheet capacity, Honeywell has made a series of bolt-on acquisitions aimed at boosting the company’s growth and margin profile.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave billions of federal taxpayer dollars to North Carolina hospitals for medical debt relief.
—Ge Bai, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for billion 
Dictionary Entries Near billion
Cite this Entry
“Billion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billion. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share