foot the bill
idiom
: to pay for something
His parents footed the bill for his college education.
It's a business lunch, so the company is footing the bill.
Examples of foot the bill in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The mere possibility that a private operator could commandeer public assets — paid for by Orange County taxpayers — while forcing us to foot the bill for their overhead is a breathtaking example of government overreach.
—
Dick Batchelor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
In the condo market specifically, luxury units, which are often new construction, have not experienced the same difficulties as units in older buildings that are being forced to foot the bill for major repairs.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
But attempts to shield regular Californians from footing the bill in 2025 ended with a law requiring regulators to write a report about the issue by 2027.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 29 Dec. 2025
Britain wants the funds spent only on humanitarian causes in Ukraine, in line with a wider European push for Moscow to foot the bill for deaths and destruction triggered by its invasion.
—Reuters, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foot the bill
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Dick Batchelor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
In the condo market specifically, luxury units, which are often new construction, have not experienced the same difficulties as units in older buildings that are being forced to foot the bill for major repairs.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
But attempts to shield regular Californians from footing the bill in 2025 ended with a law requiring regulators to write a report about the issue by 2027.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 29 Dec. 2025
Britain wants the funds spent only on humanitarian causes in Ukraine, in line with a wider European push for Moscow to foot the bill for deaths and destruction triggered by its invasion.
—Reuters, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foot the bill
Cite this Entry
“Foot the bill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foot%20the%20bill. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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