trillion

noun

tril·​lion ˈtri(l)-yən How to pronounce trillion (audio)
Synonyms of trillionnext
1
: a number equal to 1,000 times one billion see Table of Numbers
2
: an indeterminately large number
a trillion mosquitoes out tonight
trillion adjective
trillionth
ˈtri(l)-yən(t)th How to pronounce trillion (audio)
adjective or noun

Examples of trillion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That distinction will determine whether physical AI remains an expensive collection of pilots or becomes a labor market measured in trillions of dollars. — Navin Chaddha, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 The cost of that missing piece may be trillions of dollars and millions of lives each year. — Holly Baines, STAT, 14 Oct. 2026 Potentially containing trillions of parameters — values learned during training — frontier models require vast computing resources, largely confining them to data centers, where they can be more easily monitored and, in principle, switched off. — Robert Hart, The Verge, 14 Oct. 2026 Peggy Flanagan wants a government takeover of health care that would cost taxpayers trillions per year and provide free coverage to people in our country illegally. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trillion

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1745, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of trillion was in 1745

Rhymes for trillion

See All Rhymes for trillion

Browse Nearby Words

Trilling
trillion
trillionaire
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trillion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trillion. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

trillion

noun
tril·​lion ˈtril-yən How to pronounce trillion (audio)
1
: a number equal to 1,000 times one billion see number
2
: a very large number
a trillion mosquitoes out tonight
trillion adjective
trillionth
-yən(t)th How to pronounce trillion (audio)
adjective
trillionth noun

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