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• bill
  bill

  noun

  a statement of money owed for goods or services supplied.
• Bill
  Bill

  noun

  a first name, form of William.

bill

¹ American  

[bil] / bɪl /

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.

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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.

idioms

1. 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.

bill ² American  

[bil] / bɪl /

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.

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verb (used without object)

1. to join bills or beaks, as doves.

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.

bill ³ American  

[bil] / bɪl /

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.

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bill ⁴ American  

[bil] / bɪl /

noun

British Dialect.

1. the cry of the bittern.

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Bill ⁵ American  

[bil] / bɪl /

noun

1. a first name, form of William.

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bill ¹ British  

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

4. any printed or written list of items, events, etc, such as a theatre programme

   who's on the bill tonight?

5. informal 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. an obsolete name for promissory note

10. law See bill of indictment

11. See bill of exchange

12. See bill of fare

13. archaic any document

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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

bill ² British  

/ 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

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verb

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

2. (of lovers) to kiss and whisper amorously

bill ³ British  

/ bɪl /

noun

1. a pike or halberd with a narrow hooked blade

2. short for billhook

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bill ⁴ British  

/ bɪl /

noun

1. ornithol another word for boom 1

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bill More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• biller
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bill¹

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

Explanation

When thinking about all the many meanings of the simple word bill think of the bill you get in a restaurant. A piece of paper that someone pushes toward you, right? In the legislature, laws draft form are called bills––pieces of paper being passed around. Dollar bills and advertising bills get passed around too. A bird will push the bill of their beak into things too, and the bill of your baseball hat is the part that sticks out in front of the rest of you. When an actor demands top billing, they want to come first on the billboard marquis in front of the theater (and everywhere else).

Example Sentences

Proponents of the bill said it offers consumers a cheaper alternative that would mitigate rising gasoline prices, while stimulating demand for the piles of corn grown by U.S. farmers in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Advocates for ethanol blended gasoline got a long-awaited win in the House, but a bill allowing year-round sale faces a murky future in the Senate.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Bipartisan support for the crypto industry’s biggest legislative priority helped a Senate committee approve the Clarity Act, a bill intended to clarify regulation of digital assets.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

The Senate Banking Committee voted to advance a bill that the crypto industry has championed for a long time.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

“Oh. My. Einstein,” I whispered as I gingerly took the bill.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Related Words

• check
• debt
• note
• statement