bill

¹

[ bil ]

noun

1. a statement of money owed for goods or services supplied:

   He paid the hotel bill when he checked out.

   Synonyms: statement, invoice, reckoning

2. a piece of paper money worth a specified amount:

   a ten-dollar bill.

3. Government. a form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature, but not yet enacted or passed and made law.
4. bill of exchange.
5. a written or printed public notice or advertisement.

   Synonyms: broadside, flier, throwaway, circular, announcement, placard, poster, handbill, bulletin

6. any written paper containing a statement of particulars:

   a bill of expenditures.

7. Law. a written statement, usually of complaint, presented to a court.
8. Slang. one hundred dollars:

   The job pays five bills a week.

9. playbill.
10. entertainment scheduled for presentation; program:

    a good bill at the movies.

11. Obsolete.
    1. a promissory note.
    2. a written and sealed document.
    3. a written, formal petition.

verb (used with object)

1. to charge for by bill; send a bill to:

   The store will bill me.

2. to enter (charges) in a bill; make a bill or list of:

   to bill goods.

3. to advertise by bill or public notice:

   A new actor was billed for this week.

4. to schedule on a program:

   The management billed the play for two weeks.

bill

²

[ bil ]

noun

1. the parts of a bird's jaws that are covered with a horny or leathery sheath; beak.
2. the visor of a cap or other head covering.
3. a beaklike promontory or headland.

verb (used without object)

1. to join bills or beaks, as doves.

bill

³

[ bil ]

noun

1. a medieval shafted weapon having at its head a hooklike cutting blade with a beak at the back.
2. Also called billman. a person armed with a bill.
3. Also called billhook. a sharp, hooked instrument used for pruning, cutting, etc.
4. Also called pea. Nautical. the extremity of a fluke of an anchor.

bill

⁴

[ bil ]

noun

, British Dialect.

1. the cry of the bittern.

Bill

⁵

[ bil ]

noun

1. a male given name, form of William.

bill

¹

/ bɪl /

noun

1. See boom
   ornithol another word for boom 1

bill

²

/ bɪl /

noun

1. the mouthpart of a bird, consisting of projecting jaws covered with a horny sheath; beak. It varies in shape and size according to the type of food eaten and may also be used as a weapon
2. any beaklike mouthpart in other animals
3. a narrow promontory

   Portland Bill

4. nautical the pointed tip of the fluke of an anchor

verb

1. (of birds, esp doves) to touch bills together
2. (of lovers) to kiss and whisper amorously

bill

³

/ bɪl /

noun

1. a pike or halberd with a narrow hooked blade
2. See billhook
   short for billhook

bill

⁴

/ bɪl /

noun

1. money owed for goods or services supplied

   an electricity bill

2. a written or printed account or statement of money owed
3. such an account for food and drink in a restaurant, hotel, etc Usual US and Canadian wordcheck
4. any printed or written list of items, events, etc, such as a theatre programme

   who's on the bill tonight?

5. fit the bill informal.
   fit the billfill the bill to serve or perform adequately
6. a statute in draft, before it becomes law
7. a printed notice or advertisement; poster
8. a piece of paper money; note
9. See promissory note
   an obsolete name for promissory note
10. See bill of indictment
    law See bill of indictment
11. See bill of exchange
    See bill of exchange
12. See bill of fare
    See bill of fare
13. archaic.
    any document

verb

1. to send or present an account for payment to (a person)
2. to enter (items, goods, etc) on an account or statement
3. to advertise by posters
4. to schedule as a future programme

   the play is billed for next week

Other Words From

• bill·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bill¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bille, from Anglo-French, from Anglo-Latin billa for Late Latin bulla “seal”; bull ³

Origin of bill²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bile, bille, Old English bile “beak, trunk”; akin to bill ³

Origin of bill³

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bil, Old English bill “sword”; cognate with Old High German bil “pickax”

Origin of bill⁴

First recorded in 1780–90; akin to bell ², bellow

Word History and Origins

Origin of bill¹

C18: from dialect beel bell ² (vb)

Origin of bill²

Old English bile ; related to bill bill ³

Origin of bill³

Old English bill sword, related to Old Norse bīldr instrument used in blood-letting, Old High German bil pickaxe

Origin of bill⁴

C14: from Anglo-Latin billa , alteration of Late Latin bulla document, bull ³

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bill and coo, to kiss or fondle and whisper endearments, as lovers:

   My sister and her boyfriend were billing and cooing on the front porch.

2. fit the bill, to be just what is needed for a particular purpose: Also fill the bill.

   If you're looking for things to do with the family, this not-too-spooky Great Pumpkin Fest is sure to fit the bill.

More idioms and phrases containing bill

see clean bill of health ; fill the bill ; foot the bill ; sell a bill of goods .

Example Sentences

What starts with a few innocent bills can—before you know it—become an overwhelming document pile you’re forced to tear through in a panic looking for your lost passport.

From Popular-Science

“We are currently growing at 110% average month on month in sales and our average bill value has gone up by 10 times in the last 6 months,” he said.

From TechCrunch

An investigation this year by ProPublica found that companies run by the governor’s family have accumulated $128 million in judgments and settlements in cases brought by vendors and other businesses and government entities over unpaid bills.

From ProPublica

The bills are usually paid in private, with no public disclosure.

From Washington Post

They would allow lawmakers to pass, or at least put up to vote, targeted bills on unemployment, increased testing, and other issues.

From Fortune

“Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV,” she continued.

From The Daily Beast

True, this may not be what James Madison had in mind when he was writing the Bill of Rights.

From The Daily Beast

But at the heart of this “Truther” conspiracy theory is the idea that “someone” wants to destroy Bill Cosby.

From The Daily Beast

She fails to appreciate the congressional and constitutional obstacles Johnson had to overcome to win passage of the bill.

From The Daily Beast

That is the difference between the protections embedded in our Bill of Rights and the lived lives of our citizenry.

From The Daily Beast

The lack of bill buyers in foreign countries who will quote as low rates on dollar as on sterling bills.

From Project Gutenberg

Several able speakers had made long addresses in support of the bill when one Mr. Morrisett, from Monroe, took the floor.

From Project Gutenberg

He is what the bill wishes to make for us, a regular root doctor, and will suit the place exactly.

From Project Gutenberg

Then, you know, she had no right to play in the Rooms again; she was supposed to pay her hotel bill, and leave Monte Carlo.

From Project Gutenberg

For Mrs. Robin had an end of a pinkish-white worm in her bill, on which she was tugging as hard as she could.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• check
• debt
• note
• statement