millions of millions

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "millions of millions" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to emphasize a very large number, often in contexts discussing quantities or statistics. Example: "The universe contains millions of millions of stars, far beyond what we can comprehend."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

"There are millions of millions of millions of impacts per year.

The New York Times

However, the UDRP entails a cost of several thousand dollars per domain (including both filing costs and attorneys fees), so UDRP expenses might well reach to the millions of millions of dollars due to the number of domains registered by Zuccarini.

Harvard University

In 1690, the philosopher John Locke suggested the French word billion as a useful term for avoiding "the often repeating of millions of millions of millions etc".

BBC

And the average law firm or established corporation may have millions of millions of contracts or other paperwork in its databases, but that data isn't usable as it's likely in a simple unlabeled PDF format.

TechCrunch

"You want to ignore what is really the grass roots, which is millions of millions voters that voted for Donald Trump?" he said to Lee. "If we're really representative of the grass roots, and we're really representative conservatism, we listen to those voices". Unruh's proposed change was never expected to win a majority of votes on the committee, which skews heavily toward party loyalists.

Los Angeles Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

He's two-of-five lifetime.

Los Angeles Times

Tens of millions?

The New York Times

But hundreds of millions is not billions.

The Guardian

"Is it tens of millions of dollars, tens of billions of dollars or tens of trillions of dollars?" he said.

The Washington Post

And hundreds of millions — perhaps many billions — of times.

The Washington Post

Their aim was to torture tens of thousands, and to terrify hundreds of millions.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "millions of millions" when you want to stress an exceptionally large number, especially when a single term like "trillions" might not fully convey the magnitude you intend. However, ensure your audience understands the intended scale, as it can sometimes be perceived as imprecise.

Common error

Avoid excessive use of repetitive quantifiers like "millions of millions" in formal writing. While it can emphasize scale, overuse can make your writing sound less precise or even hyperbolic. Consider using more specific numerical values or established terms like "trillions" for clarity and conciseness.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "millions of millions" is as a quantifier, emphasizing a very large, but often unspecified, number. It serves to highlight the magnitude of something being discussed. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Academia

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "millions of millions" serves to emphasize a remarkably large quantity. Ludwig indicates that it is grammatically sound, albeit less precise than alternatives like "trillions". While usable, it's best employed when seeking to impress a sense of immense scale, as opposed to specifying an exact number. Predominantly found in News & Media and academic contexts, it carries a neutral formality. For writers aiming for clarity and precision in formal contexts, substituting with "trillions" or a numerical value is advisable. This term is best suited for descriptive writing where emphasis on scale outweighs the need for exactness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

trillions

A more concise term for a very large number (10^12), often used as a direct replacement.

millions upon millions

An alternative phrasing that conveys a similar sense of a very large amount.

billions of billions

Similar repetition to emphasize magnitude, but with a different base number.

countless millions

Highlights the inability to accurately count the large number.

innumerable millions

Emphasizes the vast quantity that defies enumeration.

an immense number of millions

Uses more descriptive adjectives to highlight the size.

a staggering amount of millions

Emphasizes the overwhelming nature of the quantity.

unfathomable millions

Highlights the inability to fully grasp the scale of the quantity.

astronomical millions

Relates the large number to the scale of astronomy.

multi-millions

A shorter, less emphatic way to denote a quantity involving multiple millions.

FAQs

What does "millions of millions" actually mean?

The phrase "millions of millions" is used to emphasize an extremely large number. It's essentially equivalent to saying a trillion (1,000,000,000,000) or billions of billions.

Is it correct to say "millions of millions"?

Yes, it is grammatically correct, although it's not as common or precise as using terms like "trillions". According to Ludwig, it's usable for emphasis.

What can I say instead of "millions of millions"?

You can use alternatives like "trillions", "billions of billions", or "countless millions" depending on the context and desired level of emphasis.

When is it appropriate to use "millions of millions" instead of "trillions"?

Use "millions of millions" when you want to underscore the sheer scale of something, perhaps in a more informal or descriptive context where absolute precision isn't critical. In formal or technical contexts, "trillions" is generally preferred for its accuracy and conciseness.