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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:

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

The case, which was brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, alleged lawyers worked together to file a flurry of fraudulent cases with billable hours that defied logic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

Goodwin terminated him in August 2023 after he hadn’t worked on a billable matter for months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Former employees said such services were typically the ones that were billable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 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

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