eon

or ae·on

[ ee-uhn, ee-on ]
See synonyms for eon on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an indefinitely long period of time; age.

  2. the largest division of geologic time, comprising two or more eras.

  1. Astronomy. one billion years.

Origin of eon

1
see origin at aeon

Words Nearby eon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use eon in a sentence

  • Bush ran his last competitive race in 1998, an eon ago in political terms.

  • Each change was supposed to denote the birth of some angel or celestial being known as an eon.

  • Action with a purpose is deliberate; it involves a consciously foreseen end and a mental weighing of considerations pro and eon.

  • He descended to the edge of the clearing and picked his way through the debris of some eon-old geologic catastrophe.

    First on the Moon | Jeff Sutton
  • After what seemed an eon it struck the edge of the subway kiosk, bounced like a rag doll and sprawled across the pavement.

    The End of Time | Wallace West
  • After what seemed an eon of waiting, he ventured another look ahead.

    The Valley of the Giants | Peter B. Kyne

British Dictionary definitions for eon

eon

/ (ˈiːən, ˈiːɒn) /


noun
  1. the usual US spelling of aeon

  2. geology the longest division of geological time, comprising two or more eras

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for eon

eon

[ ēŏn′ ]


  1. The longest division of geologic time, containing two or more eras.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.