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

See Examples For:

foot the bill

"Banksy's vandalism should be stopped and he should foot the bill for the costs he imposes on others."

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Kennedy told The Times in 2023 that the school came to him after it had trouble finding another wealthy booster to foot the bill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Patients and taxpayers foot the bill for medications that, after patent expiration, should be much cheaper, as small-molecule generics are.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

But the consumers who had to foot the bill for the higher costs?

From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2026

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