Synonyms for

Billion

Verb / ˈbɪljʌn / Another word for billion — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

Billion means a number equal to one thousand million or 1,000,000,000.

Synonyms & similar words

onemillionmillion gazillion million jillion zillion onethousandmillion trillion milliard mega gigantic colossal massive enormous immense huge vast great tremendous abundant plentiful copious lavish excessive overabundant overflowing superabundant

Synonyms by register

Formal

large number vast quantity myriad

Informal

loads tons gazillions zillions

Literary

legion multitude

Antonyms

million thousand hundred single few couple

Common collocations

  • a billion dollars
  • a billion people
  • a billion reasons
  • by the billions
  • over a billion
  • nearly a billion
  • almost a billion

Word family

noun billion
adjective billional

Usage note

In British English, 'billion' historically referred to a million million (10^12), but the American usage of a thousand million (10^9) is now standard. It is a very large number, so avoid using it for quantities that are merely large but not astronomically so.

Example sentences

  1. The billionaire businessman owns several companies.
  2. The government spent billions of dollars on infrastructure.
  3. The new project is expected to generate billions in revenue.
  4. The company's net worth is estimated to be in the billions.
  5. The lottery jackpot is over a billion dollars.

Quotes

  • A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you're talking real money. - Everett Dirksen
  • I would like to electrocute everyone who uses the word 'fair' in connection with income tax policies. - William F. Buckley, Jr.
  • A billion dollars isn't what it used to be. - Burt Reynolds

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