invoice

American  

[in-vois] / ˈɪn vɔɪs /

noun

1. an itemized bill for goods sold or services provided, containing individual prices, the total charge, and the terms.

2. the merchandise or shipment itself.

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verb (used with object)

invoiced, invoicing

1. to present an invoice to.

   The manufacturer invoiced us for six whiteboards.

2. to present an invoice for.

   five chairs invoiced and shipped last month.

verb (used without object)

invoiced, invoicing

1. to prepare or submit an invoice.

2. to have a value if or when inventoried.

   The merchandise in stock invoiced far more than we expected.

invoice British  

/ ˈɪnvɔɪs /

noun

1. a document issued by a seller to a buyer listing the goods or services supplied and stating the sum of money due

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verb

1. (tr)

   1. to present (a customer) with an invoice

   2. to list (merchandise sold) on an invoice

Other Word Forms

• uninvoiced
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of invoice

First recorded in 1550–60; variant of invoyes, plural of obsolete invoy, variant of envoy ¹

Explanation

An invoice is an itemized statement of the money that's owed for goods or services. If you buy books online, they will usually arrive with an invoice telling what books you bought and how much they cost. Invoice comes from the French verb envoyer, which means to send, and "send" is a verb often used with the noun invoice, like when the online bookstore sends you an invoice. The same sense occurs when you use invoice as a verb. If you tell someone to invoice you for work they've done, you're asking them to send you a bill.

Example Sentences

As promised, he got the invoice by email the next day but didn’t see a link to pay.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The invoice was related to a model whom Fink was dating that had a work visa through the agency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

I know her salary because I saw the recruiter invoice come through, and they charge 25% of a hire’s first-year base salary.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026

Matthiesen, in his lawsuit, says Doyle got him to issue an invoice for $550,000 based on lies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

Pursuit planes were traded for additional cargo ships or retained for emergency invoice duty and small-parcel service; trucks and tanks were procured from the ground forces and used for short-distance road hauling.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller