like a zillionaire
- idiom
- Slang
:
como un millonario
- She spent money like a zillionaire on her birthday party.
Examples
-
During their trip, the couple dined like a zillionaire every night at top restaurants.
-
After winning the lottery, he started spending like a zillionaire on expensive cars and holidays.
-
She redecorated her house like a zillionaire, sparing no expense on furnishings.
-
He dresses like a zillionaire every day.
-
He threw the party like a zillionaire, complete with a live band and gourmet catering.
-
She dressed like a zillionaire for the gala, wearing a stunning diamond-studded gown.
-
They vacationed like a zillionaire, booking a private jet and staying in a luxurious resort.
Synonyms
11
5.6
In a very rich and generous way using a lot of money
7
6.0
Using or spending much more than needed
1
8.5
In a showy, exaggerated way to impress people
Someone gives large gifts or money in a very generous way
Antonyms
How Lavish
- Slang
- Formal
8
9.6
17
5.3
107
2.9
31
4.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
like + a + zillionaire
The phrase is a straightforward simile built from 'like' + article + a nonce noun 'zillionaire' meaning an extremely rich person; if a learner knows these constituents they can infer 'as if very wealthy' and thus understand the adverbial sense of extravagant behaviour. The formation is compositional and follows common cross-linguistic simile patterns (e.g. 'like a millionaire'), so it is immediately derivable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Like a zillionaire comes from the joke word zillionaire, built from 'zillion', meaning an imaginary huge number, and 'billionaire', and it paints a picture of someone who spends money without care. That's why like a zillionaire means to act in a very showy, expensive way.