1 trillion | Definition of trillion

trillion

noun
tril·​lion | \ ˈtri(l)-yÉ™n How to pronounce trillion (audio) \

Definition of trillion

1 : a number equal to 1,000 times one billion — see Table of Numbers
2 : an indeterminately large number a trillion mosquitoes out tonight

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Other Words from trillion

trillion adjective
trillionth \ ˈtri(l)-​yÉ™n(t)th How to pronounce trillionth (audio) \ adjective or noun

Examples of trillion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dan Clifton of Strategas Research Partners points out that trillions of dollars of land and buildings are held by corporations but not sold solely because of the heavy inflation tax. Grover Norquist, Twin Cities, "Grover Norquist: Indexing capital gains helps more than the rich," 29 Aug. 2019 Dan Clifton of Strategas Research Partners points out that trillions of dollars of land and buildings are held by corporations but not sold solely because of the heavy inflation tax. Grover Norquist, The Denver Post, "Grover Norquist: Trump should index capital gains to spare millions of Americans from paying taxes on inflation," 27 Aug. 2019 Most corporate equity is now managed by a handful of large institutional investment firms who oversee trillions of dollars of equity in virtually every public company in the world. Miguel Padró, Quartz at Work, "If we want our corporate leaders held accountable, we must let other stakeholders in," 26 Aug. 2019 Once considered nearly impenetrable, the Arctic is taking on new strategic importance as climate change melts its icy armor and trillions of dollars of resources become accessible. National Geographic, "Arctic Assets," 21 Aug. 2019 Last week’s signal, however, is so clear that a false alarm would be a once-in-trillions-of-years event. Charlie Wood, Scientific American, "Astronomers Spy a Black Hole Devouring a Neutron Star," 19 Aug. 2019 Throughout the universe, all matter and energy is diffusing out of hot spots like coffee and stars, ultimately destined (after trillions of years) to spread uniformly through space. Wired, "Fractal Patterns Offer Clues to the Universe's Origin," 11 Aug. 2019 Every second trillions of them pass unnoticed through each of us. Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "Resurrected detector will hunt for some of the strangest particles in the universe," 8 Aug. 2019 That process is still ongoing in the present-day universe and will continue for trillions of years. Quanta Magazine, "The Universal Law That Aims Time’s Arrow," 1 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trillion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of trillion

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for trillion

French, from tri- + -illion (as in million)

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More Definitions for trillion

trillion

noun

English Language Learners Definition of trillion

: the number 1,000,000,000,000 : one thousand billion
: a very large amount or number
British, old-fashioned : the number 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 : one million million million

trillion

noun
tril·​lion | \ ˈtril-yÉ™n How to pronounce trillion (audio) \

Kids Definition of trillion

: a thousand billions

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More from Merriam-Webster on trillion

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with trillion

Spanish Central: Translation of trillion

Nglish: Translation of trillion for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of trillion for Arabic Speakers