billion

billion — 數詞

1. the whole number written as 1,000,000,000 — that is, a thousand groups of one mi

1.數詞B2
釋義

十億

1後面接九個零的整數，即一千個百萬

the whole number written as 1,000,000,000 — that is, a thousand groups of one million.

例句

Earth is home to about eight billion people in 2024.

在2024年，地球上大約有八十億人居住。

number + billion + plural noun

The new bridge in Tokyo cost nearly two billion dollars to build.

東京的這座新橋花了將近二十億美元才建成。

billion + currency + plural noun

文法句型

a/one billion + plural noun

number + billion + plural noun

用法筆記

Always followed by a plural noun without 's' on 'billion' itself: 'two billion dollars', NOT 'two billions dollars'. The plural form 'billions' only appears in sense 2 (with 'of').

常見錯誤

❌The project cost three billions dollars.
✅The project cost three billion dollars.
💡when a specific number comes before, 'billion' stays singular.
❌There were billion of stars.
✅There were billions of stars.
💡without a specific number, use plural 'billions of'.

2. an extremely large but not exact amount, used as exaggeration to stress how huge

2.數詞B2
釋義

無數；數不清

用誇飾表達極大數量，並非實際數字

an extremely large but not exact amount, used as exaggeration to stress how huge a quantity feels.

例句

Nikolai said he had told his sister to clean her room billions of times.

Nikolai 說他已經叫妹妹整理房間講過無數次了。

billions of + plural noun for exaggeration

On clear desert nights, you can see billions of stars above your head.

在晴朗的沙漠夜裡，你頭頂上可以看到數不清的星星。

billions of + plural noun

同義詞
  • millions

    smaller-feeling exaggeration; 'millions of' is slightly less extreme than 'billions of'.

  • tons

    informal, used for both countable and uncountable things; 'tons of homework' but only 'billions of stars'.

  • loads

    very informal British English; not used for stars, planets, or scientific contexts.

反義詞
  • a handful

    the opposite idea — only a few items.

文法句型

billions of + plural noun

billions and billions of + plural noun

用法筆記

Always plural ('billions of') in this sense, never 'a billion' or 'one billion'. Sounds informal and emotional; in formal writing, prefer 'a huge number of' or give a real figure.

常見錯誤

❌I have one billion of emails to read.
✅I have billions of emails to read.
💡for exaggeration, use plural 'billions of', not 'one billion'.
❌The forest had billions trees.
✅The forest had billions of trees.
💡'of' is required before the noun in this sense.

3. a real but rough quantity in the range of several thousand million up to nearly

3.數詞B2
釋義

好幾十億

實際數字落在數十億到近一兆之間的龐大數量

a real but rough quantity in the range of several thousand million up to nearly a million million, used when the speaker means an actual large figure rather than a wild guess.

例句

The oil company earned billions of dollars during the war years.

這家石油公司在戰爭期間賺進了好幾十億美元。

billions of + currency in finance

The Brazilian government spent billions of reais on the new highway network.

巴西政府在新的高速公路網上花了好幾十億雷亞爾。

billions of + currency

同義詞
  • billions of

    same range; this is the standard form used with currency and countable nouns.

文法句型

billions of + currency

billions of + countable plural noun

用法筆記

Subject is often a company, government, or industry. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense gives a real (if rough) numerical scale; sense 2 is pure exaggeration. If the speaker means an actual financial figure, this is the sense in play.

常見錯誤

❌The deal is worth a few billion of dollars.
✅The deal is worth a few billion dollars.
💡drop 'of' when a number like 'a few' or 'several' comes first.

4. in older British texts, the number written as 1,000,000,000,000 — equal to a mil

4.數詞C2
釋義

舊式一兆

舊英式英語中的一兆，現已少用

in older British texts, the number written as 1,000,000,000,000 — equal to a million millions, the same value modern English now calls a trillion.

例句

In a Victorian textbook, Professor Hayes found that 'one billion' meant a million million.

在一本維多利亞時代的教科書裡，Hayes 教授發現「one billion」當時意指一兆。

older British meaning of 'one billion'

At the London archive, Dr. Patel held a 1950s ledger where 'two billion pounds' meant two million million.

在倫敦的檔案館裡，Patel 博士拿著一本1950年代的帳冊，上頭的「two billion pounds」指的是兩兆英鎊。

historical British definition in archive context

同義詞
  • trillion

    the modern English word for the value (1,000,000,000,000) this older sense names.

用法筆記

Almost no one uses this meaning today. Modern British English follows the American value (1,000,000,000) for 'billion'. Distinguish from sense 1: this older sense is only relevant when reading old UK documents.

常見錯誤

❌In modern UK news, a billion still means a million million.
✅In modern UK news, a billion means a thousand million.
💡Britain switched to the American value decades ago.

billion — 名詞