billion
Translation
billion, a thousand million
Examples
The company is worth over a billion dollars.
The company is worth over a billion pounds.
There are billions of stars in our galaxy.
There are billions of stars in our galaxy.
Grammar Patterns
a billion ((sth.)) a specific quantity (1,000,000,000) of (sth.) The project will cost a billion dollars.
billions of ((sth.)) a very large, unspecified number of (sth.) There are billions of people on Earth.
Similar Words
Synonyms: a thousand million
Etymology
From French 'billion', from 'bi-' (two) + '-illion'. Originally meant the second power of a million, but the meaning has changed in the short scale system.
Memory Tips
Remember that in American English (short scale), a billion is 1,000,000,000, not a million million (long scale).