million
Americannoun
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a cardinal number, a thousand times one thousand.
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a symbol for this number, as 1,000,000 or M̅.
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millions, a number between 1,000,000 and 999,999,999, as in referring to an amount of money.
His fortune was in the millions of dollars.
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the amount of a thousand thousand units of money, as dollars, pounds, or euros.
The three Dutch paintings fetched a million.
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a very great number of times.
Thanks a million.
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the million(s), the mass of the common people; the multitude.
poetry for the millions.
adjective
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amounting to one million in number.
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amounting to a very great number.
a million things to do.
noun
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the cardinal number that is the product of 1000 multiplied by 1000 See also number
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a numeral, 1 000 000, 10 6 , M, etc, representing this number
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informal (often plural) an extremely large but unspecified number, quantity, or amount
I have millions of things to do
determiner
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amounting to a million
a million light years away
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( as pronoun )
I can see a million under the microscope
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informal done for; sunk
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of million
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English milioun, from Middle French, from Old Italian millione ( Italian milione ), equivalent to mille “thousand” (from Latin mīlle ) + -one, augmentative suffix
Explanation
A million is 1,000,000. It's a large number made of a thousand thousands. If you have a million dollars, you’re a millionaire! The word million comes from the Italian milione, which literally means "a great thousand.” It’s great to have a thousand, but it’s awesome to have a million! A million is a big number but not so big that you don't see it used frequently. In fact, being a millionaire isn’t even a big deal anymore. An online video might be watched by a million viewers, and there are millions of people in big cities like New York City and Chicago.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The attack unfolded at the end of the last hike on the last day of a long-awaited trip to the popular Montana park, which sees more than 3 million visitors annually.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2023, before President Trump's crackdown on undocumented migrants, there were 14 million immigrants living illegally in the US.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Investors and bank loans fueled Brian McClain’s “house of cards” beef operations, which burned through $170 million.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
By 2035, the IEA forecasts there will be between 700,000 and three million robotaxis in 40 to 80 major cities.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
For example, roughly one hundred million people live in adjacent areas, and six hundred million people live downstream from the pandas’ mountainous habitat.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
