The Abbreviation for Million: What Is It and How to Use It?

Are you looking for the abbreviation of the word million? Sit back; we’ve got the answer. Here, we’ll study the word million and explore its meaning, origin, and synonyms. Plus, we’ll abbreviate the word and provide examples where you can use the abbreviation instead of the whole word. Keep reading.

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What Is the Abbreviation for Million?

Million is a noun and an adjective. Its plural is millions. There is one widely accepted abbreviation.

  • m.

Both upper and lowercase M would be the correct abbreviation. Because the capital letter M is the Roman numeral for a thousand, you may want to use the lowercase letter to avoid confusion. Typically, the abbreviation is used right after a number without a space. 

Abbreviating a million is common, especially in the financial context. Accountants and other businesspeople will use m instead of writing all six zeros. 

For example:

The budget includes $1m for marketing in the 2020 fiscal year.

The income statement has a breakdown of each expense. The auditor believes that the $3m spent on water and electricity is an overstated figure.

The Definition of the Word

A million is equivalent to the product of a thousand times a thousand. It also means one thousand thousand. One million can be written as the number one followed by six zeros—1,000,000.

In scientific notation, one million is written as 10^6 or 1×10^6.

In the English language, “a million” can be a metaphor for a very large number.

There are millions of bees headed towards the south.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary also defines million as, “the mass of common people —used with the.”

The campaign rally was attended by millions.

Dictionary.com also includes a definition, saying that the word million refers to, “a symbol for this number, as 1,000,000 or M̅.”

The word million is also commonly used in idiomatic expressions to mean “many” or “a lot.” 

Of all my friends, you’re one in a million.

I feel like a million dollars.

Thanks a million.

As an adjective, a million represents something immeasurable, indefinite, or without number.

There are a million ways to show love, care, and support to those close to you.

The million-dollar question is—who is going to take custody of the children after the divorce?

The History and Origin of the Word

Million was first used in the 14th Century. Just like a billion it can be used to express an exaggerated statement, meant to create a strong impression.  

The word million was derived from Italian million, which evolved from mille, a Latin word for thousand.  

Synonyms for Million

  • Zillion
  • Billion
  • Truckload
  • Mountain
  • Squillion
  • Gazillion
  • Shedload
  • Commoners
  • Commons
  • Crowd
  • Herd
  • Hoi polloi
  • Mass
  • Mob
  • Multitude
  • People
  • Plebeians
  • Plebs
  • Populace
  • Public
  • Rank and file

Examples of the Word in Context

“The last grand prize winning ticket was sold in California on 11/02/19 for a jackpot of $150 million.”
—Newsweek

“A report on the same issue in the Business Post suggested the acquisition of the 25 per cent stake in Galway Clinic could cost about €15 million.”
—The Irish Times

“Chinese operator sells Toulouse airport stake to French company for €200m profit | On Monday, one of France’s largest infrastructure conglomerates closed the purchase of a near-majority share in Toulouse airport, under Chinese ownership since a 2015 privatisation.”
—France 24

“Wethersfield OKs $3M Artisanal Burger, countertop showroom developments | Planning officials in Wethersfield pushed ahead construction plans for a $3-million Artisanal Burger Co. restaurant and a kitchen countertop showroom on Tuesday.”
—Hartford Business Journal

Sources:

  1. https://thesaurus.yourdictionary.com/million
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1,000,000
  3. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/million?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld
  4. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/million?s=t
  5. https://www.newsweek.com/powerball-drawing-01-08-20wednesday-jackpot-258-million-1481172
  6. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/larry-goodman-pays-15m-to-acquire-full-control-of-galway-clinic-1.4122997
  7. https://www.france24.com/en/20191231-chinese-operator-sells-toulouse-airport-stake-to-french-company-for-%E2%82%AC200m-profit-1
  8. https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/wethersfield-oks-3m-artisanal-burger-countertop-showroom-developments