electric bill
22
1.4
- noun
- /ɪˈlɛktrɪk bɪl/
:
factura de electricidad
- After using the heater all winter, the electric bill was much higher than usual.
- pay the electric bill
- monthly electric bill
- higher electric bills
Well, the school didn't pay their electric bill, so we're out here now.
- Well, the school didn't pay their electric bill, so we're out here now.
- You could pay in advance a few years of let's say your gas bill, your electric bill, your phone bill and so on.
- And it was based on the electric bill.
- However, my best friend believes he should pay a small contribution to the bills, water and electric bill.
- That might be the food in the cupboard, it might be you can't buy the shopping that way, and it might be you don't pay the electric bill that week or that month.
Examples
-
You've got a backache, the children are outside, the electric bill's not paid, nor is the rent.
Academic text (2007) -
Putting food on the table and paying the electric bill are problematic.
Academic text (1990) -
I wonder what the electric bill is for that?
-
No sense in running up the electric bill.
-
It's not gonna help me pay my electric bill.
-
The electric bill is through the roof.
-
All right, I just paid the mortgage, the car loan and the electric bill.
-
Historical evidence shows that over time these programs save consumers more on their electric bills than they cost.
Academic text (2007) -
Changing to more efficient light bulbs will decrease your electric bill and help the environment.
Blog text (14) -
Then I arrived home to find my mother ranting over an extra-high electric bill.
Fiction book (2002)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A paper telling you how much you must pay
14
2.3
A paper or email that shows how much money you must pay for energy used
How Reliable
- Specialized
1
5.1
- Formal
325
1.3
- Formal
1
2.7
- Formal
6
1.3
22
1.4
- Informal
7
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a bill showing the amount owed for electricity' is directly derivable from combining 'electric' (relating to electrical power) with 'bill' (a document listing money owed). This is a regular modifier–noun compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Electric bill comes from the simple idea of a company sending a paper that shows how much electric power you used and the bill you must pay. That's why it means the 'amount owed for electricity'.