billion and million share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. billion means “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”. million means “the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros”. million is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɪljən/
1.n.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
2.n.a very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole)
“there were millions of flies”
3.n.the number that is represented as a one followed by 9 zeros
| billion | million | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɪljən/ | /ˈmɪljən/ |
| Said | BI-lyuhn | MI-lyuhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun, adjective | noun, adjective |
| Senses | 5 | 3 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | one million million, 1000000000000 | 1000000, one thousand thousand, meg |
Full entry for billion · Full entry for million · More comparisons
/ˈmɪljən/
1.n.the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
2.n.a very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole)
“there were millions of flies”
3.adj.(in Roman numerals, M written with a macron over it) denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000,000 items or units