What does "billionaire" mean?

Somebody whose wealth is at least one billion (10⁹) currency units.

How do you pronounce "billionaire"?

Pronounced //ˌbɪl.jəˈnɛɚ//.

Common synonyms include: bloated plutocrat, capitalist, daddy warbucks, fat cat, man of means, man of substance.

//ˌbɪl.jəˈnɛɚ// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Somebody whose wealth is at least one billion (10⁹) currency units.
"Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today."
2
a very rich person whose material wealth is valued at more than a billion dollars wordnet

"Imagine yourself as a billionaire."

From billion + -aire.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.