million
million — number
1. a number equal to one thousand times another thousand, written as 1,000,000 — us
a number equal to one thousand times another thousand, written as 1,000,000 — used when giving the exact size or amount of something.
The new hospital cost over a million dollars to complete.
a/one million + [plural noun]
More than a million tourists visited the national park last summer.
Allison saved one million yen by cooking at home for a full year.
The library now holds nearly a million books from different countries.
Ritu's company employs close to a million workers in three countries.
文法句型
a/one + million + [plural noun]
number + million + [plural noun]
常見錯誤
2. a very great number of people or things, used when you want to say the amount is
a very great number of people or things, used when you want to say the amount is extremely large but you are not being exact.
Millions of viewers around the world watched the Olympic opening ceremony.
millions of + [plural noun]
The storm left millions of homes without electricity for days.
Hui has heard that song millions of times on the radio.
The charity provides clean water to millions of families in Africa.
That online video was watched by millions of people around the world.
- countless
more poetic/emphatic; implies too many to count
- thousands of
smaller scale; used for quantities in the thousands
- billions of
larger scale; used when the quantity reaches billions
文法句型
millions of + [plural noun]
用法筆記
Only takes the plural form 'millions' when used before 'of'. The singular 'a million' without 'of' belongs to sense 1 of this part of speech.
常見錯誤
3. amounts or quantities that are at least one million but not yet a billion, espec
amounts or quantities that are at least one million but not yet a billion, especially when discussing budgets, populations, or statistical figures.
The government spent tens of millions of dollars on the new railway.
tens of millions of + [plural noun]
Several million citizens in the country live below the poverty line.
The city needs hundreds of millions of dollars to repair its roads.
Obi's company reported profits in the millions for the first time.
The earthquake caused damage running into hundreds of millions.
文法句型
[number] + millions of + [plural noun]
tens of millions of + [plural noun]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (VAST QUANTITY) — sense 2 refers to any vaguely large number, while this sense specifically places the quantity between one million and one billion. The 'of' is always present.
million — noun
1. the whole amount of one million, thought of as a single unit or figure in calcul
the whole amount of one million, thought of as a single unit or figure in calculations, budgets, or measurements.
The population of this small country is half a million.
half a million
The charity collected nearly a million in donations this year.
collected + a million (noun)
Jude's film earned over a million at the box office last month.
The company's total worth is well above a million pounds.
Building the tunnel cost the government two million in total.
文法句型
a/one + million
half a million
more than a million
[number] million
用法筆記
Unlike the number sense (number/1), this noun sense treats 'million' as a thing you can count or measure — you can say 'a million' without a following noun. Often used with 'half', 'over', 'nearly', 'more than'.
常見錯誤
2. an extremely large number used as an exaggerated way of saying something is very
an extremely large number used as an exaggerated way of saying something is very great, impressive, or overwhelming — not meant as a real count.
Talia told me a million times not to touch the old vase.
a million times (exaggeration)
I have a million things to do before the wedding next week.
Pim felt like a million bucks after winning the race.
There are a million reasons why this plan will not work.
Hamza's grandmother says she has told him the same story a million times.
- countless
more formal; implies literally too many to count
- innumerable
formal/literary; very large number
- a ton of
informal; similar exaggeration with a different metaphor
文法句型
a million + [noun]
millions
用法筆記
Often alternates with 'a thousand' or 'a billion' in the same exaggerated frame — 'I've told you a thousand/million/billion times'. The plural 'millions' alone (without 'of') can also express this, e.g. 'Thanks a million!'