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billfold

billfold

5 3.4
A small flat case for carrying paper money and cards that fits in a pocket
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪlˌfoʊld/
  • US
translation icon : cartera
  • Charlie Burke brought out a billfold from inside his coat.
  • billfold or wallet
  • pulled out a billfold
  • leather billfold

Examples

  • He opened his billfold to pay for the groceries.

  • She always keeps her identification in her billfold when she travels.

  • Hand my billfold back to me.

  • First thing, of course, even before the billfold, is my cell phone.

    Blog text (29)
  • So he said, "Just give me your billfold."

  • I recognize her from a picture I saw in his billfold once.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Out fell my keys, money, billfold, and papers.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • On the sidewalk outside, I take out my billfold to look at the Austrian banknotes.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I fished his Medicare card out of his billfold and went to the admissions office to fill out forms.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Delacroix pulls out his billfold and gives Dot five crisp new model hundred-dollar bills.

    Fiction book (2000)

Synonyms

wallet
vsbillfold
648 1.0

A small flat case for carrying money and cards

is mainly a pocket-sized case for money and personal documents
pocketbook
vsbillfold
  • US
1 2.9

A small flat case for money and papers that fits in a pocket

is focused on carrying money and small documents rather than other items
notecase
vsbillfold
  • UK
1 7.2

A small flat holder for paper money and small personal papers

is designed to fit in a pocket rather than only being kept there
bifold
vsbillfold
4.6

A case that folds once in the middle to hold cards and cash

is a general flat pocket case without specifying a single fold

How Big

purse
399 1.0
billfold
  • US
5 3.4
wallet
648 1.0

Surface Forms

billfold singular
billfolds plural

Morphology

billfold = bill + fold (transparent) = bill + fold

The meaning is directly the combination of 'bill' and 'fold' — a folded case for paper money.

Etymology

The word billfold comes from the simple words bill ('paper money') and fold ('to fold'). So a billfold is a small, flat case for folding and carrying your bills and cards, which is why it fits easily in a pocket.