bill of goods

noun phrase

1
: a consignment of merchandise
2
: something intentionally misrepresented : something passed off in a deception or fraud
often used in the phrase sell a bill of goods

Examples of bill of goods in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
We have been sold the bill of goods and none of it is accurate. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2023 If not, Marylanders are going to start to think they’ve been sold a bill of goods. Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2024 Since 2008, when California voters authorized a $10 billion bond issue for the train, they’ve been sold a bill of goods. Wendell Cox, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2024 Americans have been sold a bill of goods, coming and going. Tamar Haspel, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bill of goods was in 1842

Dictionary Entries Near bill of goods

Cite this Entry

“Bill of goods.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bill%20of%20goods. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

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