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

Charlene Young, senior pension and savings expert at investment platform AJ Bell, said some of the rise in voluntary payments would be down to top-earning graduates like Hilary, but that it was "very likely that parents and family are stepping in to foot the bill".

From BBC

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

From MarketWatch

Attorneys said in order to guarantee clients get 75% of the money, lawyers will have to foot the bill for these medical costs, opening the possibility they would walk away with nothing.

From Los Angeles Times

If the tech companies foot the bill, regular consumers would presumably not have to fund the infrastructure.

From Barron's

It sounds like your parents aren’t really a financial support beam for you anymore, which is why it feels unnatural when they foot the bill, even if it’s for a special occasion.

From MarketWatch