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billion

noun · n

Simple meaning

A very large indefinite number.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bilyuhn

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbɪljən

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole)

  2. The number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen

n

  1. A name for a large number.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole)

Used this way, billion is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in technical or specialist writing contexts.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Technical/specialist writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

two billionthree billionfive billionhalf billionfour billionbillion yearsten billionsix billion

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • billion-dollar grassnounCompound term

    Coarse annual grass cultivated in Japan and southeastern Asia for its edible seeds and for forage.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • billionairenounRelated term

    A very rich person whose material wealth is valued at more than a billion dollars.

  • multi-billionairenounRelated term

    A very rich person whose material wealth is valued at many billions of dollars.

  • one-billionthnounRelated term

    One part in a billion equal parts.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.