bill.
A written list or inventory. (Now obsolete except in specific senses or set phrases; bill of lading, bill of goods, etc.)
Meaning & usage
A written list or inventory. (Now obsolete except in specific senses or set phrases; bill of lading, bill of goods, etc.)
A document, originally sealed; a formal statement or official memorandum. (Now obsolete except with certain qualifying words; bill of health, bill of sale etc.)
A draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Prime Minister, I beg to introduce a bill entitled[…]
A declaration made in writing, stating some wrong the complainant has suffered from the defendant, or a fault committed by some person against a law.
A piece of paper money; a banknote.
A piece of paper money; a banknote. One hundred dollars.
One hundred pounds sterling.
A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge owing; an invoice.
He received a bill of £9 for the groceries.
A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, listing the price or charge paid; a receipt.
A paper, written or printed, and posted up or given away, to advertise something, as a lecture, a play, or the sale of goods
A writing that binds the signer or signers to pay a certain sum at a future day or on demand, with or without interest, as may be stated in the document; a bill of exchange. In the United States, it is usually called a note, a note of hand, or a promissory note.
A set of items presented together.
We've got a brilliant new comedian on the bill tonight.
A list of pupils to be disciplined for breaking school rules.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bille, from Anglo-Norman bille, from Old French bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal, sealed document”). Doublet of bull (“papal bull; bubble”) and bulla.
To advertise by a bill or public notice.
To charge; to send a bill to.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bille, from Anglo-Norman bille, from Old French bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal, sealed document”). Doublet of bull (“papal bull; bubble”) and bulla.
The beak of a bird, especially when small or flattish; sometimes also used with reference to a platypus, turtle, or other animal.
A beaklike projection, especially a promontory.
There is a lighthouse on Portland Bill.
Of a cap or hat: the brim or peak, serving as a shade to keep sun off the face and out of the eyes.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bill, bil, bille, bile, from Old English bile (“beak (of a bird); trunk (of an elephant)”), of unknown origin. Perhaps from a special use of Old English bil, bill (“hook; sword”) (see below).
to peck
to stroke bill against bill, with reference to doves; to caress in fondness
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bill, bil, bille, bile, from Old English bile (“beak (of a bird); trunk (of an elephant)”), of unknown origin. Perhaps from a special use of Old English bil, bill (“hook; sword”) (see below).
Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff.
A cutting instrument, with hook-shaped point, and fitted with a handle, used in pruning, etc.; a billhook.
Somebody armed with a bill; a billman.
A pickaxe or mattock.
The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or beyond the fluke (also called the peak).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bill, bille, bil, from Old English bil, bill (“a hooked point; curved weapon; two-edged sword”), from Proto-Germanic *bilją (“axe; sword; blade”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyH- (“to strike; beat”). Cognate with West Frisian bile (“axe”), Dutch bijl (“axe”), German Bille (“axe”).
To dig, chop, etc., with a bill.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bill, bille, bil, from Old English bil, bill (“a hooked point; curved weapon; two-edged sword”), from Proto-Germanic *bilją (“axe; sword; blade”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyH- (“to strike; beat”). Cognate with West Frisian bile (“axe”), Dutch bijl (“axe”), German Bille (“axe”).
The bell, or boom, of the bittern.
Where this word comes from
Onomatopoeic.
To roll up a marijuana cigarette.
Where this word comes from
Pronunciation spelling of build.
Try it on your idea.
bill has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.
These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.
Explore the name generatorA word with a source.
Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.