to foot
- verb
- /fʊt/
- Informal
- Once you ask other people to foot the bill, then their preferences have priority.
- foot the bill
- taxpayers foot the bill
The cons of D to C, number one, you still have to foot the bill, OK?
- The cons of D to C, number one, you still have to foot the bill, OK?
- But it's it's wrong because it is, it is not fair to all of those who are ultimately going to have to foot the bill to do this.
- Sadly, the ones footing the bill are the innocent civilians who are blithely dismissed as collateral damage.
Examples
-
My editor's agreed to foot the bill.
-
Are you just gonna let me foot all the bills?
-
- Let me foot the bill.
-
I should foot the bill?
-
Nor can law firms expect clients to foot the bill for this entire investment.
Academic text (2017) -
In addition to the privacy concerns, the states would have to foot the bill of implementation.
Blog text (11) -
Many times, parents are responsible for footing the bill.
Academic text (2008) -
I footed the bill for all my travels to the 27 states I'd completed thus far.
-
As taxpayers, we cannot be expected to foot the bill to subsidize farms with dairy compacts.
Academic text (2004) -
I will gladly foot the bill for our dinner tonight.
Synonyms
To give money for something you buy or owe
To provide money to pay for something
To pay for something, often for someone else
To pay for something, often when it is expensive or unexpected
Pay money you owe as your part of a shared bill
Idioms
Make a very good impression when you meet someone or start something new
- Informal
A situation that has changed so the other person has the advantage
- Informal
Cause trouble for yourself by your actions, often by accident
- Offensive
To yell at or threaten someone to make them try harder
Imagine being in the other person's place to understand them better
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- US
A measure of area equal to a square one foot on each side used for rooms and land
An infection on the feet, often between the toes, caused by a fungus that makes the skin itch and peel
- Specialized
A very contagious viral disease of animals like cows or sheep that causes fever and mouth and hoof sores
- Specialized
A measure of wood volume equal to a piece one foot long, one foot wide and one inch thick
- Specialized
A foot problem from long cold, wet exposure that causes pain, swelling, and numbness
- Specialized
A small soft tube with a sucker that starfish and sea urchins use to move, eat, and breathe
- Specialized
A pale yellow liquid from cattle feet and legs that softens and protects leather
A small plant with yellow flowers and seed pods like a bird's foot often grown for animals to eat
- Specialized
A small fern with purple-brown stalks and divided leaves like a bird's foot
A small plant from eastern United States with pale blue or purple flowers like pansies
A fern from the Canary Islands and Madeira with soft, hairy underground stems like a hare's foot
- UK
A low plant with silvery leaves and small white flowers that forms a soft ground cover
- Specialized
A foot born with a deep gap between the third and fourth toes that extends into the foot
A small line at the outer corner of the eye that often appears with age or when you smile
- Australian
A fern from Australia with hairy underground stems that look like a rabbit's foot
- Specialized
A spreading infection of the feet of animals like sheep and cows that causes swelling and difficulty walking
- Specialized
A disease that makes the base of a plant's stem or trunk decay, often after too much water
- Formal
Moving to another place to show a political or personal preference instead of voting in an election
- South African
A small South African plant with bluish flowers and leaves shaped like a goat's foot
- Specialized
A fern with soft, hairy creeping stems that look like a rabbit's foot
- Specialized
A bird foot with the first two toes pointing backward and the other two pointing forward
- Specialized
A robotic gripper with two toes pointing backward and two pointing forward to hold oddly shaped objects
- Specialized
A foot injury from being in cold, wet places for a long time without freezing
- Specialized
A soft body part that animals without backbones use to move or hold on
- Australian
An Australian plant with fuzzy spring flowers shaped like a kangaroo's foot
- Australian
A plant from Australia with long grasslike leaves and fuzzy flower clusters
- Specialized
A fern with furry underground stems and large deeply divided green leaves
A soft pad that you put inside a shoe to support the foot and reduce pain
A North American plant that lives for one year with bright pink or red pea-like flowers
A feathery fern with soft furry underground stems that look like a squirrel's foot
- Specialized
A bird foot with two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward
- Specialized
The end part of an animal leg used for standing and for moving, like a human foot, hoof or claw
How Much
Surface Forms
Etymology
Foot meaning 'to pay' a bill is easiest to remember this way: a helpful way to think about it is that totals were written at the 'foot' (bottom) of a bill, so to 'foot' the bill became to pay it.