Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for billable. Search instead for billables.

billable

American  
[bil-uh-buhl] / ˈbɪl ə bəl /

adjective

  1. that may or should be billed.

    Attorneys put in hundreds of billable hours on the case.


noun

  1. an active customer account.

billable British  
/ ˈbɪləbəl /

adjective

  1. referring to time worked, esp by a lawyer, on behalf of a particular client and for which that client will be expected to pay

    a timesheet of my billable hours

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of billable

First recorded in 1570–80; bill 1 + -able


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Lighthouse investor slides that circulated in 2021, just before Cerberus invested, flagged weekly billable therapy at “30+ Hours/Client,” and noted “lifetime revenue per client” of $285,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

A differentiation between FDEs and traditional consultants is that FDEs measure success through shared long-term business goals instead of billable hours, Amazon noted.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Ford alleges the firm intentionally slowed down its clients’ cases to drive up their billable hours, instructing drivers not to communicate with Ford and pushing them toward filing a lawsuit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

Each new prescription generates a billable visit, while tapering a patient off an ineffective drug takes time, monitoring and follow-up, which the billing system frequently doesn’t reimburse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

Investors need to hear that incremental capacity is converting into billable services quickly, and that utilization rates are rising rather than stalling.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 27, 2026

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training