bill

1
[ bil ]
See synonyms for bill on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a statement of money owed for goods or services supplied: He paid the hotel bill when he checked out.

  2. a piece of paper money worth a specified amount: a ten-dollar bill.

  1. Government. a form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature, but not yet enacted or passed and made law.

  2. a written or printed public notice or advertisement.

  3. any written paper containing a statement of particulars: a bill of expenditures.

  4. Law. a written statement, usually of complaint, presented to a court.

  5. Slang. one hundred dollars: The job pays five bills a week.

  6. entertainment scheduled for presentation; program: a good bill at the movies.

  7. Obsolete.

    • a written and sealed document.

    • 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.

  1. to advertise by bill or public notice: A new actor was billed for this week.

  2. to schedule on a program: The management billed the play for two weeks.

Idioms about bill

  1. fit the bill, to be just what is needed for a particular purpose: If you're looking for things to do with the family, this not-too-spooky Great Pumpkin Fest is sure to fit the bill.: Also fill the bill .

Origin of bill

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bille, from Anglo-French, from Anglo-Latin billa for Late Latin bulla “seal”; see bull3

Other words for bill

Other words from bill

  • bill·er, noun

Words Nearby bill

Other definitions for bill (2 of 5)

bill2
[ 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.

  1. a beaklike promontory or headland.

verb (used without object)
  1. to join bills or beaks, as doves.

Origin of bill

2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bile, bille, Old English bile “beak, trunk”; akin to bill3

Other definitions for bill (3 of 5)

bill3
[ 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.

  1. Also called billhook. a sharp, hooked instrument used for pruning, cutting, etc.

  2. Also called pea. Nautical. the extremity of a fluke of an anchor.

Origin of bill

3
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bil, Old English bill “sword”; cognate with Old High German bil “pickax”

Other definitions for bill (4 of 5)

bill4
[ bil ]

nounBritish Dialect.
  1. the cry of the bittern.

Origin of bill

4
First recorded in 1780–90; akin to bell2, bellow

Other definitions for Bill (5 of 5)

Bill
[ bil ]

noun
  1. a male given name, form of William.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bill (1 of 4)

bill1

/ (bɪl) /


noun
  1. money owed for goods or services supplied: an electricity bill

  2. a written or printed account or statement of money owed

  1. mainly British such an account for food and drink in a restaurant, hotel, etc: Usual US and Canadian word: check

  2. any printed or written list of items, events, etc, such as a theatre programme: who's on the bill tonight?

  3. fit the bill or fill the bill informal to serve or perform adequately

  4. a statute in draft, before it becomes law

  5. a printed notice or advertisement; poster

  6. US and Canadian a piece of paper money; note

  7. an obsolete name for promissory note

  8. archaic any document

verb(tr)
  1. to send or present an account for payment to (a person)

  2. to enter (items, goods, etc) on an account or statement

  1. to advertise by posters

  2. to schedule as a future programme: the play is billed for next week

Origin of bill

1
C14: from Anglo-Latin billa, alteration of Late Latin bulla document, bull ³

British Dictionary definitions for bill (2 of 4)

bill2

/ (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

  1. a narrow promontory: Portland Bill

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

verb(intr)
  1. (of birds, esp doves) to touch bills together

  2. (of lovers) to kiss and whisper amorously

Origin of bill

2
Old English bile; related to bill bill ³

British Dictionary definitions for bill (3 of 4)

bill3

/ (bɪl) /


noun
  1. a pike or halberd with a narrow hooked blade

  2. short for billhook

Origin of bill

3
Old English bill sword, related to Old Norse bīldr instrument used in blood-letting, Old High German bil pickaxe

British Dictionary definitions for bill (4 of 4)

bill4

/ (bɪl) /


noun
  1. ornithol another word for boom 1 (def. 4)

Origin of bill

4
C18: from dialect beel bell ² (vb)

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 Idioms and Phrases with bill

bill

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.