billions

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "billions" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a quantity that is in the billions, often in contexts related to finance, population, or large-scale measurements. Example: "The company's revenue reached billions last year, marking a significant increase from the previous year."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Opinion

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

There is no love lost between the Farc and the US: Washington put the guerrilla group on its list of terrorist organizations in 1997 and poured billions of dollars of military aid into a campaign to defeat them.

The Guardian

Her argument was to question why it is acceptable to discuss spending billions on HS2 to create links and work opportunities, but not on childcare.

The Guardian - Opinion

After all, when it looked as if Scotland was thinking seriously about leaving the UK, billions of pounds were wiped off the stock market.

The Guardian

The union had been saved after a tumultuous end to the referendum campaign, which had seen billions wiped off the share prices of Scottish companies in the wake of a YouGov poll on 7 September giving the Yes side a narrow lead.

The Guardian

Switching public spending from "grey" projects such as roads and airports, to "green" schemes such as parks, tree planting and allotments, would not just save the government billions of pounds, improve health, and cut climate emissions, but it would create jobs and make British cities more attractive.

The Guardian - Opinion

If the purpose of your existence is to make the world a better place, why would you invest billions of dollars in companies that make the greatest contribution to global climate change?

The Guardian

Billions of dollars of the government's proposed budget savings are under threat with Labor declaring opposition to more than half of their welfare reforms as the Greens revealed they would oppose the indexation of the fuel excise.

The Guardian

The EU is reviving efforts to strike a deal with Ukraine that could involve billions of euros in economic perks.

The Guardian

The Stern review provided cogent reasons for why private R&D will never provide a large share of the many billions needed around the world to shift energy use away from fossil fuels.

The Guardian

Russia's richest man, Oleg Deripaska, admitted in an interview with the Wall Street Journal earlier this month that he expected his losses to be "in the billions".

The Guardian

Greece has vowed to honour heavy debt repayments over the coming weeks but says it is counting on international creditors to release billions of euros in rescue funds before the end of the month as crisis talks between the two sides grind on.

The Guardian - Business

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "billions" when you need to convey a large, but still quantifiable, amount. For less precise but still significant amounts, consider alternatives like "vast amounts".

Common error

Avoid mixing numerical styles within the same context. If you start with "billions", maintain that level of precision rather than switching to less specific terms like "a lot of money".

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "billions" is as a noun, specifically the plural form of "billion". It quantifies a large amount, often in financial or demographic contexts. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically sound and widely used.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Formal & Business

20%

Science

5%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the term "billions" is a grammatically correct and very common noun used to denote large quantities, particularly in financial and demographic contexts. Ludwig AI supports this assessment. While the phrase is generally neutral in register, it's crucial to specify the units (e.g., "billions of dollars") for clarity. Alternative phrases like "thousands of millions" or "vast quantities" can be used depending on the desired level of precision. The phrase appears most frequently in news and media sources, reflecting its relevance in reporting on significant financial and global events.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

thousands of millions

This alternative is a more literal way to express "billions", emphasizing its composition.

a thousand million

This alternative is more precise but less commonly used than "billions".

countless millions

This alternative emphasizes the numerous nature of the amount, rather than a specific quantity.

astronomical sums

This alternative emphasizes the large and almost incomprehensible nature of the amount.

vast quantities

This alternative is less specific, referring to a large amount without the precision of "billions".

huge amounts

This alternative is more generic, indicating a large quantity in a less formal way.

massive investments

This alternative focuses on the act of investing large sums of money.

enormous expenditures

This alternative highlights the spending aspect of large sums of money.

colossal reserves

This alternative is useful in contexts describing the holding of something.

hundreds of millions

This alternative indicates a quantity lower than "billions", but still substantial.

FAQs

How do you use "billions" in a sentence?

"Billions" is used to express a quantity of one thousand millions. For example: "The company generated "billions in revenue" last year."

What's the difference between "millions" and "billions"?

"Millions" refers to a quantity of one thousand thousands (1,000,000), while "billions" refers to a quantity of one thousand millions (1,000,000,000). "Billions" is a thousand times greater than "millions".

What can I say instead of "billions"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "thousands of millions", "astronomical sums", or "vast quantities".

Is it correct to say "billions of" without specifying what?

While grammatically correct, it's better to specify what you're referring to (e.g., "billions of dollars", "billions of people"). This makes the statement more precise and understandable.