/ ˈmɪljən; NAmE / number ( plural verb )
1.
( abbr. m ) 1 000 000 :
a population of half a million
tens of millions of dollars
It must be worth a million (= pounds, dollars, etc.)
HELP NOTE : You say a, one, two, several, etc. million without a final 's' on 'million'. Millions (of ... ) can be used if there is no number or quantity before it. Always use a plural verb with million or millions , except when an amount of money is mentioned
Four million (people) were affected.
Two million (pounds) was withdrawn from the account.
2.
a million or millions (of ... ) ( informal ) a very large amount :
I still have a million things to do.
There were millions of people there.
He made his millions (= all his money) on currency deals.
HELP NOTE : There are more examples of how to use numbers at the entry for hundred .
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IDIOMS
- look / feel like a million dollars / bucks
- one, etc. in a million
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French , probably from Italian milione , from mille thousand + the augmentative suffix -one .