foot the bill

Idioms  

1. Pay the bill, settle the accounts, as in The bride's father was resigned to footing the bill for the wedding. This expression uses foot in the sense of “add up and put the total at the foot, or bottom, of an account.” [Colloquial; early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

While the sovereign-wealth funds will help foot the bill, Ellison will remain the guarantor if one of the Gulf nations backs out of the deal, Tuesday’s regulatory filing said.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

They say oil and gas companies still need to be held to account, so that the same communities that were subjected to decades of pollution won’t have to foot the bill for expensive cleanups.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

However, he does allow his parents to foot the bill at family dinners for him, his wife and his son.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026

In his crosshairs: the national health insurance scheme, which he suggests should foot the bill for hair loss treatments.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

He had decided to assemble a research team and explore the area in more detail the next year, and persuaded the National Geographic Society to foot the bill.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann