numeral / adjective / noun
trillion
TRIL-yun/trˈɪljʌn/
The number 1,000,000,000,000.
The calculator displays one trillion as 1,000,000,000,000.
Etymology
The “three” originally counted powers of a million: a trillion was a million cubed. In the short-scale system used here, it instead means a thousand billion, or 10¹².
In context
Big tech companies are projected to spend more than $800 billion on the infrastructure behind artificial intelligence in 2026. And in 2027, that number will exceed a trillion dollars.
More examples
- A trillion equals one thousand billion.
- The project could cost more than a trillion dollars.
- The report measures global debt in trillions of dollars.
Forms
trillion · trillions