THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
Foot the bill
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
Pay the cost of something.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- The company will foot the bill for the training course.
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.
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Can you recall the expression?
Complete the example using the expression from this lesson.
The company will ________ for the training course.
Show the answer
Foot the bill — Pay the cost of something.
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Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Foot the bill” about your own life.
Check your sentence
Does your sentence match this meaning?
Pay the cost of something.
Compare: The company will foot the bill for the training course.
Check the spelling and how the expression fits the sentence. Your example can be different.
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More ways to understand and use it
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When to use it
Use this informal expression when discussing who pays for a meal, event, repair or other expense. It often draws attention to a substantial cost.
More examples in context
- We split the taxi fare, but Ana footed the bill for lunch.
- Who is footing the bill for the broken window?
Usage note
“Foot” is a verb here: “footed” in the past and “footing” in the continuous form. Keep “the bill”; this expression is about paying, unlike “fit the bill”, which means being suitable.
A short conversation
A: Do we need to pay for our own hotel rooms?
B: No, the conference organiser is footing the bill.
A: I’ll check which nights are included.
One more practice question
If your employer foots the bill for a course, who pays?
A. Your employer.
B. You alone.
Check your answer
A. The person or organisation that foots the bill pays the expense.
Related lessons
Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.