zillion

[ zil-yuhn ]

noun

, plural zil·lions, (as after a numeral) zil·lion.

1. an extremely large, indeterminate number.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or amounting to a zillion.

zillion

/ ˈzɪljən /

noun

1. often plural an extremely large but unspecified number, quantity, or amount

   zillions of flies in this camp

determiner

1. 1. amounting to a zillion

      a zillion different problems

   2. ( as pronoun )

      I found a zillion under the sink

Word History and Origins

Origin of zillion¹

First recorded in 1930–35; jocular alteration of million, billion, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zillion¹

C20: on the model of million

Example Sentences

However, it’s “easily disprovable with any one of a zillion examples,” George Zaidan, a chemist and author of Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us, told me in an email.

From Slate

However, it’s “easily disprovable with any one of a zillion examples,” George Zaidan, a chemist and author of Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us, told me in an email.

From Slate

I saw a toddler careen around the display cases, and pictured a skyscraper toppling and shattering into a zillion tiny pieces.

From Seattle Times

Does he think—what if I had just done the paperwork differently, just like the zillion times I wondered why I hadn’t just added my name to the rental car, and paid for the extra insurance?

From Slate

“Z” the zebra is still zooming through the wild, and a zillion zealous searches have returned zilch.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• boundless
• enormous
• immense
• infinite
• unforeseen
• untold
• vast