invoice

American  

[in-vois] / ˈɪn vɔɪs /

noun

1. an itemized bill for goods sold or services provided, containing individual prices, the total charge, and the terms.

2. the merchandise or shipment itself.

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verb (used with object)

invoices, present (3rd person singular) invoiced, past participle, past invoicing present participle

1. to present an invoice to.

   The manufacturer invoiced us for six whiteboards.

2. to present an invoice for.

   five chairs invoiced and shipped last month.

verb (used without object)

invoices, present (3rd person singular) invoiced, past participle, past invoicing present participle

1. to prepare or submit an invoice.

2. to have a value if or when inventoried.

   The merchandise in stock invoiced far more than we expected.

invoice British  

/ ˈɪnvɔɪs /

noun

1. a document issued by a seller to a buyer listing the goods or services supplied and stating the sum of money due

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verb

1. (tr)

   1. to present (a customer) with an invoice

   2. to list (merchandise sold) on an invoice

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uninvoiced
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has invoiced
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have invoiced
  perfect
• has been invoicing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am invoicing
  progressive 1st person singular
• is invoicing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are invoicing
  progressive
• have been invoicing
  perfect progressive
• invoicing
  participle
• invoices
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had invoiced
  perfect
• had been invoicing
  perfect progressive
• were invoicing
  progressive plural
• was invoicing
  progressive singular
• invoiced
  simple
• invoiced
  participle

Future

• will invoice
  simple
• will have invoiced
  perfect
• will be invoicing
  progressive
• will have been invoicing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of invoice

First recorded in 1550–60; variant of invoyes, plural of obsolete invoy, variant of envoy ¹

Explanation

An invoice is an itemized statement of the money that's owed for goods or services. If you buy books online, they will usually arrive with an invoice telling what books you bought and how much they cost. Invoice comes from the French verb envoyer, which means to send, and "send" is a verb often used with the noun invoice, like when the online bookstore sends you an invoice. The same sense occurs when you use invoice as a verb. If you tell someone to invoice you for work they've done, you're asking them to send you a bill.

Example Sentences

Murrell created a false invoice for the vehicle, changing the customer address and account name.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

Ofsted said it was not aware of this but said constructing a different invoice would not change the illegality of the provision.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

But steeper prices on a repair invoice will make that difficult.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

As promised, he got the invoice by email the next day but didn’t see a link to pay.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Pursuit planes were traded for additional cargo ships or retained for emergency invoice duty and small-parcel service; trucks and tanks were procured from the ground forces and used for short-distance road hauling.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller