bill

The word "bill" is often associated with money. Whether you pay for something or ask for payment, you can use this word.

"Bill" is often used as a verb:

• The city billed us $10,000 for street repairs.
• We were billed $10,000 for street repairs done by the city. ("Bill" often appears in the passive voice.)
• The dentist billed John for a couple of fillings.
• John was billed for some dental work.
• The plumber billed me $200 to fix the toilet.
• I was billed $200 for some plumbing work.

You also hear "bill" used as a noun:

• John received a bill from the dentist’s office.
• The dentist’s office sent him a bill.
• Bills are sent out from the utility companies once a month.
• Do you understand everything that’s on your bill?
• Last month’s bill for electricity was kind of high.
• Fatma paid her bill before leaving the restaurant. (You can also use the word "check" in place of "bill" when paying for something at a restaurant. Fatma paid her check before leaving the restaurant.)
• The mechanic gave me a bill for the work that he did on my car.

Finally, we use the word "bill" when describing different denominations of money:

• This is a ten-dollar bill.
• I have a five-dollar bill in my wallet.
• The cashier gave me a bunch of one-dollar bills.
• Whose picture is on the hundred-dollar bill?

How to talk about money is important to understand. You can go to this page to learn more vocabulary related to money.

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.

This page was first published on January 2, 2012.