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foot the bill meaning and examples

2025-09-12

Meaning

The phrase “foot the bill” means to pay for something, especially when the cost is large or unexpected, and often when someone else benefits from it. It carries the nuance that the person paying may not necessarily want to do so but ends up being responsible.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Idiom / phrasal verb

  • Structure:

    • Subject + foot the bill (for + noun / verb-ing)
    • Example: He footed the bill for the party.

It is usually used in the past tense (footed the bill) or present/future (foot the bill).

Common Phrases

  • foot the bill for dinner
  • foot the bill for damages
  • foot the bill for repairs
  • foot the bill for education

Collocations

  • foot the bill for expenses / services / mistakes
  • end up footing the bill
  • have to foot the bill

Examples

  1. The company will foot the bill for the conference.
  2. He had to foot the bill after his friends forgot their wallets.
  3. Taxpayers often foot the bill for public projects.
  4. She doesn’t want to foot the bill for her brother’s mistakes.
  5. Who is going to foot the bill for the damage caused?
  6. The government eventually footed the bill for disaster relief.
  7. We’ll invite everyone, but I don’t want to foot the entire bill myself.
  • pay for
  • cover the cost
  • pick up the tab
  • bear the expense

Antonym

  • get a free ride
  • have someone else pay
  • pass the cost on to others