bill

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈbil 

1

biology : the jaws of a bird together with their horny covering

a duck's bill

2

biology : a mouthpart (such as the beak of a turtle) that resembles a bird's bill

3

nautical : the point of an anchor fluke see anchor illustration

4

: the visor (see visor sense 2a) of a cap or hood

Illustration of bill

• 1 spoonbill
• 2 duck
• 3 parrot
• 4 flamingo
• 5 eagle
• 6 finch
• 7 pelican
• 8 hummingbird
• 9 ibis

bill

2 of 5

verb (1)

billed; billing; bills

intransitive verb

1

: to touch and rub bill to bill (see bill entry 1 sense 1)

a pair of doves billing

2

: to caress affectionately

billing and cooing

bill

3 of 5

noun (2)

1

: a weapon in use up to the 18th century that consists of a long staff ending in a hook-shaped blade

2

: billhook

bill

4 of 5

noun (3)

1

: an itemized list or a statement of particulars (such as a list of materials or of members of a ship's crew)

a bill of quantities

2

: a written document or note

3

obsolete : a formal petition

4

a

: an itemized account of the separate cost of goods sold, services performed, or work done : invoice

a bill of charges

b

: an amount expended or owed

paid the electricity bill

c

: a statement of charges for food or drink : check

asked the waiter to bring the bill

5

a

: a written or printed advertisement posted or otherwise distributed to announce an event of interest to the public

The sign read "Post no bills."

especially : an announcement of a theatrical entertainment

Who is on the bill?

b

: a programmed presentation (such as a movie, play, or concert)

the opening of a new bill

6

government : a draft of a law presented to a legislature for enactment

a bill set before Congress

also : the law itself

the GI bill

7

law : a declaration in writing stating a wrong a complainant has suffered from a defendant or stating a breach of law by some person

a bill of complaint

8

a

: a piece of paper money

a $20 bill

b

: an individual or commercial note (see note entry 2 sense 3c(1))

bills receivable

c

slang : one hundred dollars

bill

5 of 5

verb (2)

billed; billing; bills

transitive verb

1

a

: to enter in an accounting system : prepare a bill of (charges)

billing each month's charges

b

: to submit a bill (see bill entry 4 sense 4a) of charges to

They bill their customers every month.

c

: to enter (something, such as freight) in a waybill

d

: to issue a bill of lading to or for

2

: to announce (something, such as a performance) especially by posters or placards

Both writers are billed to appear at the conference.

3

: advertise, promote

the book is billed as a "report"

—P. G. Altbach

billable

ˈbi-lə-bəl 

adjective

Phrases

fill the bill or fit the bill

: to be exactly what is needed : be suitable

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• account
• check
• invoice
• statement
• tab

Noun (3)

• beak
• neb
• nib

Examples of bill in a Sentence

Noun (1)

why is the electric bill so high this month?

the $5 bill has a picture of Abraham Lincoln on the front

posted a bill advertising the new play

although they were all working adults, their parents still insisted on paying the bill whenever they went out to eat

the legislative committee endorsed a bill that would strengthen consumer protections

Noun (3)

parrots have very strong bills so they can break open nuts

the hat was blue, but the bill was red

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some said the bills were moves to get Trump's attention. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025

And right now in America, schools aren't always safe spaces because there are certain laws and bills being passed. —Spencer MacNaughton, Them, 1 Feb. 2025

Verb

To date, that firm has billed the county $31,892.89, according to court documents. —Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2025

The State Department is also billing Rubio's trip as historic -- saying his six-day journey to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic marks the first time a U.S. secretary of state has opted to make his or her first official visit to Latin America in over 100 years. —Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 1 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb (1)

Middle English bile, from Old English; akin to Old English bill

Noun (2)

Middle English bil, from Old English bill sword; akin to Old High German bill pickax

Noun (3) and Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French bille, from Medieval Latin billa, perhaps alteration of bulla, papal seal, bull — more at bull

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing bill

• bill and coo
• bill of attainder
• bill of exchange
• bill of fare
• bill of goods
• bill of health
• bill of indictment
• bill of lading
• bill of particulars
• bill of rights
• bill of sale
• double bill
• fill the bill
• fit the bill
• foot the bill
• foreign bill
• give (someone or something) a clean bill of health
• pick up the tab/bill/check
• private member's bill
• sell a bill of goods
• show bill
• T-bill
• true bill
• twin bill

Kids Definition

bill

1 of 4 noun

ˈbil 

1

: the jaws of a bird together with their horny covering

2

: a mouthpart (as the beak of a turtle) resembling a bird's bill

3

: the visor of a cap

billed

ˈbild

adjective

bill

2 of 4 verb

1

: to touch bills

2

: to caress affectionately

bill

3 of 4 noun

1

: a draft of a law presented to a legislature for consideration

introduce a bill in Congress

2

: a record of goods sold, services performed, or work done together with the costs involved

a telephone bill

3

: a sign or poster advertising something

4

: a piece of paper money

a dollar bill

bill

4 of 4 verb

: to send a bill to

Etymology

Noun

Old English bile "bill (of a bird)"

Noun

Middle English bill "document," perhaps derived from Latin bulla "papal seal, bull," from earlier bulla "bubble, amulet" — related to boil entry 2, bullet

Legal Definition

bill

noun

1

: a draft of a law presented to a legislature for enactment

also : the law itself

the GI bill

— appropriations bill \ ə-​ˌprō-​prē-​ˈā-​shənz-​ \

: a bill providing money for government expenses and programs

Note: Appropriations bills originate in the House of Representatives.

— bill of attainder

: a legislative act formerly permitted that attainted a person and imposed a sentence of death without benefit of a judicial trial see also attainder compare bill of pains and penalties in this entry

: a legislative act that imposes any punishment on a named or implied individual or group without a trial

Note: Bills of attainder are prohibited by Article I of the U.S. Constitution.

— bill of pains and penalties

: a legislative act formerly permitted that imposed a punishment less severe than death without benefit of a judicial trial compare bill of attainder in this entry

Note: The term bill of attainder is often used to include bills of pains and penalties. Bills of pains and penalties are included in the constitutional ban on bills of attainder.

— clean bill

: a bill in its form as amended and newly introduced to the legislature by a legislative committee

— engrossed bill

: a bill printed in the form in which it was passed by one chamber of Congress and certified by the appropriate legislative official

— enrolled bill

: a copy of a bill in the form in which it is passed in the legislature including all changes introduced before enactment that is kept as evidence of the law

— House bill

: a bill originating in the House of Representatives

— money bill

: revenue bill in this entry

— omnibus bill \ ˈäm-​ni-​ˌbəs-​ \

: a bill that includes a number of miscellaneous provisions or appropriations

— private bill

: a bill affecting a particular person, organization, or locality as distinguished from all the people or the whole area of a political unit

— public bill

: a bill affecting the community (as a nation or state) at large

— revenue bill

: a bill (as for imposing a tax) for raising money for any public purpose

called also money bill

Note: The U.S. Constitution requires all bills for raising revenue to originate in the House of Representatives.

2

: the pleading used to begin a suit in equity that sets forth the basis for one's claim against another

called also bill in equity

3

a

: a form or device of procedure used in civil actions

— bill in the nature of a bill of review

: an equitable bill seeking to have a court decree set aside that is brought by someone who was not a party to the original suit usually before the decree is entered in the record compare bill of review in this entry

Note: Bills in the nature of a bill of review were abolished in federal practice by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(e).

— bill in the nature of interpleader

: a bill of interpleader in which the plaintiff is allowed to claim an interest in the subject matter of the suit compare bill of interpleader in this entry interpleader

Note: In federal practice, bills in the nature of interpleader have been abandoned in favor of interpleader as described in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 22.

— bill of complaint

: complaint —used especially in equity actions

— bill of costs

: a bill setting forth the expenses in connection with a suit that a party seeks to have paid by an opposing party

— bill of exceptions

: a bill setting forth the exceptions and objections to rulings made at trial and the evidence relevant to them for the purpose of appeal or other review

Note: Bills of exceptions are no longer required in federal practice under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, but they are still used in some state courts.

— bill of interpleader

: a bill brought by a plaintiff who seeks a court determination of the conflicting claims of two or more defendants to the subject matter of the suit (as money owed by the plaintiff) and who has no interest in the subject matter and no preference as to which defendant prevails

called also strict bill of interpleader

compare bill in the nature of interpleader in this entry interpleader

Note: Under most modern rules of procedure, the requirements for interpleader have been relaxed and the distinction between a bill of interpleader and a bill in the nature of interpleader no longer exists.

— bill of particulars \ -​pər-​ˈti-​kyə-​lərz \

: a bill containing a detailed listing and explanation of the claims made by the plaintiff

Note: Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12, bills of particulars have been abandoned in favor of the expanded rules for discovery and the motion for a more definite statement.

— bill of peace

: an equitable bill used to settle the rights of parties in one suit and avoid repeated litigation

— bill of review

: an equitable bill used to start a suit to have the final judgment of a previous suit set aside compare bill in the nature of a bill of review in this entry

Note: Bills of review are used when another device for review, such as appeal, is not available, as when the period to bring it has expired. Bills of review are abolished in federal practice by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(e).

— creditor's bill

: an equitable bill by which a creditor who has won a court judgment against a debtor can compel payment from the debtor out of the property that is not otherwise reachable by legal process

— cross bill

: an equitable bill by which a party to a suit can bring a claim against any other party

Note: Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 13, cross bills are replaced by counterclaims and cross-claims.

— strict bill of interpleader

: bill of interpleader in this entry

b

: a device or instrument used in criminal procedure

— bill of indictment

: an instrument that contains the charges against a defendant and that is presented to a grand jury for determination after a preliminary hearing whether there is enough evidence to issue an indictment

called also indictment

compare no bill and true bill in this entry

— bill of information

: information

— bill of particulars \ -​pər-​ˈti-​kyə-​lərz \

: a bill that a defendant may request in which the prosecution sets out in detail the facts forming the basis for the criminal charges against the defendant

— no bill

: a bill returned by a grand jury that has determined the evidence in a bill of indictment to be insufficient to warrant prosecution

also : the finding of the grand jury that the evidence is insufficient

called also ignoramus, no true bill

— true bill

: a bill returned by a grand jury that has found the evidence in a bill of indictment sufficient to warrant prosecution : indictment

4

: an itemized account of goods sold, services performed, or work done

5

: a written instrument setting out the terms of a transaction involving goods: as

a

: bill of lading

b

: bill of sale

6

: a piece of paper money

7

: a written instrument providing proof of an obligation to pay money

— bill of credit

: an instrument written by a banker certifying to another that a person named in the instrument is entitled to draw on the banker's funds or credit up to a certain amount : letter of credit

— bill of exchange

: an instrument by one party directing another party to pay a named third party or anyone bearing it a specific amount of money on a named future date or on demand

also : draft

— due bill

: a bill given by a bank to the purchaser of a security in place of the security itself that entitles the purchaser to receive payment upon presentation

— Treasury bill

: a short-term obligation sold by the government at a discount that bears no interest but is payable at its face value at maturity compare Treasury bond at bond sense 2, Treasury note at note