bill

[ bil ]

/ bɪl /

Save This Word!

noun

a statement of money owed for goods or services supplied: He paid the hotel bill when he checked out.

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

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

bill of exchange.

a written or printed public notice or advertisement.

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

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

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

playbill.

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

Obsolete.

a promissory note.
a written and sealed document.
a written, formal petition.

verb (used with object)

to charge for by bill; send a bill to: The store will bill me.

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

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

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

OTHER WORDS FOR bill

1 reckoning, invoice, statement.

5 bulletin, handbill, poster, placard, announcement, circular, throwaway, flier, broadside.

See synonyms for bill on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about bill

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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bill

bill·er, noun

Words nearby bill

biliteral, biliterate, bilith, biliverdin, bilk, bill, billable, billabong, billbergia, billboard, bill broker

Other definitions for bill (2 of 5)

bill²

[ bil ]

/ bɪl /

noun

the parts of a bird's jaws that are covered with a horny or leathery sheath; beak.

the visor of a cap or other head covering.

a beaklike promontory or headland.

verb (used without object)

to join bills or beaks, as doves.

Origin of bill

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 ]

/ bɪl /

noun

a medieval shafted weapon having at its head a hooklike cutting blade with a beak at the back.

Also called billman. a person armed with a bill.

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

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

Origin of bill

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 ]

/ bɪl /

noun British Dialect.

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 ]

/ bɪl /

noun

a male given name, form of William.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bill in a sentence

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.
Great filing cabinets for your home office|PopSci Commerce Team|September 17, 2020|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.
UrbanKisaan is betting on vertical farming to bring pesticide-free vegetables to consumers and fight India’s water crisis|Manish Singh|September 17, 2020|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.
This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Company Might Get a Big Break From His Own Regulators|by Ken Ward Jr.|September 17, 2020|ProPublica
The bills are usually paid in private, with no public disclosure.
Trump’s businesses charged Secret Service more than $1.1 million, including for rooms in club shuttered for pandemic|David Fahrenthold, Josh Dawsey|September 17, 2020|Washington Post

They would allow lawmakers to pass, or at least put up to vote, targeted bills on unemployment, increased testing, and other issues.
Why lawmakers may choose a more targeted approach for the second round of COVID stimulus|Aric Jenkins|September 16, 2020|Fortune
“Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV,” she continued.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
True, this may not be what James Madison had in mind when he was writing the Bill of Rights.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But at the heart of this “Truther” conspiracy theory is the idea that “someone” wants to destroy Bill Cosby.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She fails to appreciate the congressional and constitutional obstacles Johnson had to overcome to win passage of the bill.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That is the difference between the protections embedded in our Bill of Rights and the lived lives of our citizenry.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?|Goldie Taylor|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lack of bill buyers in foreign countries who will quote as low rates on dollar as on sterling bills.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Several able speakers had made long addresses in support of the bill when one Mr. Morrisett, from Monroe, took the floor.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
He is what the bill wishes to make for us, a regular root doctor, and will suit the place exactly.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
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.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
For Mrs. Robin had an end of a pinkish-white worm in her bill, on which she was tugging as hard as she could.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for bill (1 of 4)

bill¹

/ (bɪl) /

noun

money owed for goods or services suppliedan electricity bill

a written or printed account or statement of money owed

mainly British such an account for food and drink in a restaurant, hotel, etcUsual US and Canadian word: check

any printed or written list of items, events, etc, such as a theatre programmewho's on the bill tonight?

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

a statute in draft, before it becomes law

a printed notice or advertisement; poster

US and Canadian a piece of paper money; note

an obsolete name for promissory note

law See bill of indictment

See bill of exchange

See bill of fare

archaic any document

verb (tr)

to send or present an account for payment to (a person)

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

to advertise by posters

to schedule as a future programmethe play is billed for next week

Word Origin for bill

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

British Dictionary definitions for bill (2 of 4)

bill²

/ (bɪl) /

noun

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

any beaklike mouthpart in other animals

a narrow promontoryPortland Bill

nautical the pointed tip of the fluke of an anchor

verb (intr)

(of birds, esp doves) to touch bills together

(of lovers) to kiss and whisper amorously

Word Origin for bill

Old English bile; related to bill bill ³

British Dictionary definitions for bill (3 of 4)

bill³

/ (bɪl) /

noun

a pike or halberd with a narrow hooked blade

short for billhook

Word Origin for bill

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

ornithol another word for boom 1 (def. 4)

Word Origin for bill

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.

bill

OTHER WORDS FOR bill

Idioms about bill

Origin of bill

OTHER WORDS FROM bill

Words nearby bill

Other definitions for bill (2 of 5)

Origin of bill

Other definitions for bill (3 of 5)

Origin of bill

Other definitions for bill (4 of 5)

Origin of bill

Other definitions for bill (5 of 5)

Words related to bill

How to use bill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bill (1 of 4)

Word Origin for bill

British Dictionary definitions for bill (2 of 4)

Word Origin for bill

British Dictionary definitions for bill (3 of 4)

Word Origin for bill

British Dictionary definitions for bill (4 of 4)

Word Origin for bill

Other Idioms and Phrases with bill