English · Numbers & Time
billion
/ˈbɪljən/
[/ˈbɪljən/]
the number 1,000,000,000
Intermediatenumeral
Definition
The number 1,000,000,000.
Example
The company is now worth more than a billion dollars worldwide.
The company is now worth more than a billion dollars worldwide.
Etymology
From French "billion," modeled on "million" with the prefix "bi-."
How & Where It’s Used
Used for enormous quantities in finance, population, and astronomy.
Cultural Note
The "short scale" billion (a thousand million) is now standard in most English.