million

noun

mil·​lion ˈmi(l)-yən 

plural millions or million

1

: a number equal to 1,000 times 1,000 see Table of Numbers

2

: a very large number

millions of cars on the road

3

: the mass of common people

—used with the

million adjective

millionfold

ˈmi(l)-yən-ˌfōld 

adverb or adjective

millionth

ˈmi(l)-yən(t)th 

adjective or noun

Synonyms

• commoners
• commons
• crowd
• herd
• hoi polloi
• mass
• mob
• multitude
• people
• plebeians
• plebs
• populace
• public
• rank and file

Examples of million in a Sentence

intellectuals sneered that television was a medium clearly aimed at the millions

Recent Examples on the Web

Backed by billions of dollars, hundreds of millions of social fans and from cities across the country. —Alexandra York, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

The site’s Cyber Monday sale is packed with millions of impressive discounts. —Isabel Garcia, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024

Whether that approach works with a federal government that’s responsible for everything from national defense to cutting tens of millions of monthly Social Security checks to inspecting a billion pounds of meat every week, remains to be seen. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024

Of course, the holiday travel season is far from over and millions of travelers are expected to hit the skies for the upcoming December holidays — including many with gifts in tow. —Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English milioun, from Middle French milion, from Old Italian milione, augmentative of mille thousand, from Latin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing million

• look/feel like a million dollars/bucks
• never/not in a thousand/million/billion years
• one in a million
• thanks a bunch/lot/million
• thanks a million

Kids Definition

million

noun

mil·​lion ˈmil-yən 

plural millions or million

1

: a number equal to 1,000 times 1,000 see number

2

: a very great number

millions of mosquitoes

million adjective

millionth

-yən(t)th 

adjective or noun