bill

1 of 5

noun (1)

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

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

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 motion picture, 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 adjective
Phrases
fill the bill or fit the bill
: to be exactly what is needed : be suitable

Examples of bill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Under the House bill, those children would attend diversion programs on their first offense for a firearm or car theft charge. Hannah Gaskill The Baltimore Sun (tns), arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Lucas acknowledged ruffling the feathers of some fellow legislators by refusing to hold a hearing on the two stand-alone arena bills. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 Helen Rummel When 19-year-old Britney Vera opens up her student account, she’s faced with the full bill for her next semester at Arizona State University. The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 The measure contains six annual spending bills and had already passed the House. Kevin Freking, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 The bill is currently with the Nebraska legislature’s education committee which will decide whether to move it to the full legislature. Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Lawmakers sought votes on several amendments and wanted to have their say on the bill and other priorities during debate on the floor. Kevin Freking, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 Under a 2022 bill, which stalled in the House, daylight saving time would have been made permanent. Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2024 Thus, the bill has not been signed into law by President Joe Biden. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
Hardy took to Instagram in November to announce that the film, billed as the final one in the series, had resumed production after taking a break due to last year’s actors strike. Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Boris & Horton opened in the East Village, billed as the city’s first cafe for dogs, where humans and their pets eat and hang out. Sydney Page, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign are set to take the stage at Rolling Loud California, a hip-hop festival in Los Angeles, on Thursday, March 14, for a performance being billed as their official live debut as ¥$. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 11 Mar. 2024 Bumblebee, Aurora, and Maverick were among 25,000 dogs from 50 countries who, though Sunday, will take part in the Cruft's dog show, billed by the organizers as the world's largest event of its kind. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2024 This interactive pop-up, billed as a celebration of the brand’s heritage, offers a showcase of new clothes and bags as well as the beloved trench coat, including new styles in checks and prints from Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee’s Spring 2024 collection. The Editors, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 What has been billed as a decisive fight for democracy is taking place within a hazy zone of disinterest. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024 The newest TVs are billed as being 8K Ultra HD—with four times the picture quality of your 4K set! Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 Pressing for younger political leaders Haley, 52, has billed herself as a next-generation leader, drawing a sharp contrast with Trump, 77, and Biden, 81. Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bill was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bill

Cite this Entry

“Bill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bill. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bill

1 of 4 noun
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
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
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

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