Trillion - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT trillion /ˈtrɪljən/ /ˈtrɪljɪn/ IPA guide

Other forms: trillions

A trillion is 1,000,000,000,000, also known as 10 to the 12th power, or one million million. It’s such a large number it’s hard to get your head around it, so sometimes trillion just means “wow, a lot.”

A trillion is bigger than a million, more than a billion, it’s 1,000,000,000,000 (and even or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 in some countries). (Yes, those are 18 zeroes in that last one.) Either way, this is such a large number that it's hard to imagine. Maybe that's why people often use this word in a looser sense, as in "I have a trillion reasons why I like this band!" That meaning is similar to gazillion, bazillion, and zillion, which aren't real numbers.

Definitions of trillion

noun the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros “in England they call a trillion a billion” synonyms: 1000000000000, one million million see moresee less type of: large integer an integer equal to or greater than ten
noun the number that is represented as a one followed by 18 zeros “in England they call a quintillion a trillion” synonyms: one million million million see moresee less type of: large integer an integer equal to or greater than ten
noun a very large indefinite number (usually used as an exaggeration) synonyms: bazillion, billion, gazillion, jillion, kazillion, million, zillion see moresee less type of: large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitude
adjective one million million in the United States synonyms: cardinal being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order
adjective one quintillion in Great Britain synonyms: cardinal being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order

Pronunciation US /ˈtrɪljən/ UK /ˈtrɪljɪn/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘trillion'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing trillion

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: tri- MORE VOCABULARY LISTS 2 million people are mastering new words. Master a word

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