bill

¹

[ bil ]

noun

1. a statement of money owed for goods or services supplied:

   He paid the hotel bill when he checked out.

   Synonyms: statement, invoice, reckoning

2. a piece of paper money worth a specified amount:

   a ten-dollar bill.

3. Government. a form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature, but not yet enacted or passed and made law.
4. bill of exchange.
5. a written or printed public notice or advertisement.

   Synonyms: broadside, flier, throwaway, circular, announcement, placard, poster, handbill, bulletin

6. any written paper containing a statement of particulars:

   a bill of expenditures.

7. Law. a written statement, usually of complaint, presented to a court.
8. Slang. one hundred dollars:

   The job pays five bills a week.

9. playbill.
10. entertainment scheduled for presentation; program:

    a good bill at the movies.

11. Obsolete.
    1. a promissory note.
    2. a written and sealed document.
    3. a written, formal petition.

verb (used with object)

1. to charge for by bill; send a bill to:

   The store will bill me.

2. to enter (charges) in a bill; make a bill or list of:

   to bill goods.

3. to advertise by bill or public notice:

   A new actor was billed for this week.

4. to schedule on a program:

   The management billed the play for two weeks.

bill

²

[ bil ]

noun

1. the parts of a bird's jaws that are covered with a horny or leathery sheath; beak.
2. the visor of a cap or other head covering.
3. a beaklike promontory or headland.

verb (used without object)

1. to join bills or beaks, as doves.

bill

³

[ bil ]

noun

1. a medieval shafted weapon having at its head a hooklike cutting blade with a beak at the back.
2. Also called billman. a person armed with a bill.
3. Also called billhook. a sharp, hooked instrument used for pruning, cutting, etc.
4. Also called pea. Nautical. the extremity of a fluke of an anchor.

bill

⁴

[ bil ]

noun

, British Dialect.

1. the cry of the bittern.

Bill

⁵

[ bil ]

noun

1. a first name, form of William.

bill

¹

/ bɪl /

noun

1. ornithol another word for boom 1

bill

²

/ bɪl /

noun

1. a pike or halberd with a narrow hooked blade
2. short for billhook

bill

³

/ bɪl /

noun

1. money owed for goods or services supplied

   an electricity bill

2. a written or printed account or statement of money owed
3. such an account for food and drink in a restaurant, hotel, etc Usual US and Canadian wordcheck
4. any printed or written list of items, events, etc, such as a theatre programme

   who's on the bill tonight?

5. fit the bill or fill the bill informal.
   to serve or perform adequately
6. a statute in draft, before it becomes law
7. a printed notice or advertisement; poster
8. a piece of paper money; note
9. an obsolete name for promissory note
10. law See bill of indictment
11. See bill of exchange
12. See bill of fare
13. archaic.
    any document

verb

1. to send or present an account for payment to (a person)
2. to enter (items, goods, etc) on an account or statement
3. to advertise by posters
4. to schedule as a future programme

   the play is billed for next week

bill

⁴

/ bɪl /

noun

1. the mouthpart of a bird, consisting of projecting jaws covered with a horny sheath; beak. It varies in shape and size according to the type of food eaten and may also be used as a weapon
2. any beaklike mouthpart in other animals
3. a narrow promontory

   Portland Bill

4. nautical the pointed tip of the fluke of an anchor

verb

1. (of birds, esp doves) to touch bills together
2. (of lovers) to kiss and whisper amorously

Other Words From

• bill·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bill¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bille, from Anglo-French, from Anglo-Latin billa for Late Latin bulla “seal”; bull ³

Origin of bill²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bile, bille, Old English bile “beak, trunk”; akin to bill ³

Origin of bill³

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bil, Old English bill “sword”; cognate with Old High German bil “pickax”

Origin of bill⁴

First recorded in 1780–90; akin to bell ², bellow

Word History and Origins

Origin of bill¹

C18: from dialect beel bell ² (vb)

Origin of bill²

Old English bill sword, related to Old Norse bīldr instrument used in blood-letting, Old High German bil pickaxe

Origin of bill³

C14: from Anglo-Latin billa , alteration of Late Latin bulla document, bull ³

Origin of bill⁴

Old English bile ; related to bill bill ³

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bill and coo, to kiss or fondle and whisper endearments, as lovers:

   My sister and her boyfriend were billing and cooing on the front porch.

2. fit the bill, to be just what is needed for a particular purpose: Also fill the bill.

   If you're looking for things to do with the family, this not-too-spooky Great Pumpkin Fest is sure to fit the bill.

More idioms and phrases containing bill

see clean bill of health ; fill the bill ; foot the bill ; sell a bill of goods .

Example Sentences

“I firmly believe that it is the best and probably only path to pass a five-year farm bill this year.”

From Salon

The Scottish government is hoping to pass its latest proposals into law by next week via an accelerated emergency bill in parliament.

From BBC

The Legislature should pass a bill to remove mandatory work from the Penal Code that doesn’t rely on a constitutional amendment.

From Los Angeles Times

An increase in energy bills helped push up the UK inflation rate, which measures price changes over time, to 2.3% in the year to October, up from 1.7% in September.

From BBC

These harrowing stories come as energy bills rise during what could be a cold winter for the first time since the peak of the energy crisis when Russia invaded Ukraine over two years ago.

From BBC

Related Words

• check
• debt
• note
• statement