zillionhttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zillion_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezillion, n. & adj.
Revised 2021

zillionnoun & adjective

colloquial (originally U.S.).
  1. noun
    1. 1920–
      A very large but indefinite number or quantity (of something). Usually in plural.
      1. 1920
        We are willing to be most anything except an incubator for zillions of germs.
        Detroit Free Press 28 February 6/4
      2. 1947
        Faithful to their zillions of fans.
        Esquire May 40/2
      3. 1987
        I would be typing along, and when I pressed the ‘O’ I would get a zillion of them on the screen.
        Family Computing February 48/1
      4. 1993
        Hollywood..suffers from inflated budgets and tries too hard to make movies that make zillions.
        USA Weekend 28 March 4/1
      5. 2001
        Haring danced and did drugs and had zillions of homosexual encounters.
        Times 27 June ii. 15/1
  2. adjective
    1. 1925–
      With an article, numeral, or other quantifier, and followed by a plural noun: amounting to a very large (but indefinite) number or quantity.
      1. 1925
        If a baby Mastodon's first tooth excited the prehistoric age a couple of zillion years ago half as much as a grown Mastodon's tooth excites the moderns of 1925, there would have been quite a commotion..when baby cut its first 'un.
        Sweetwater (Texas) Daily Reporter 25 October
      2. 1976
        She was going to break the story to her zillion readers.
        J. Crosby, Snake (1977) xvii. 93
      3. 1983
        Broken Hill Proprietary..is Australia's biggest company and a zillion times bigger than his own.
        Sunday Telegraph 9 October 20/2
      4. 2001
        Before I went to bed I explained..that I will not in a zillion years be going on the family excursion to Scotland tomorrow.
        L. Rennison, Knocked out by Nunga-nungas 14

zillion, n. & adj. was revised in March 2021.

zillion, n. & adj. was last modified in July 2023.