foot the bill

Meaning

To pay for something, especially when the cost is high or unexpected, or when you are paying for someone else. It carries a slightly reluctant tone, suggesting that the person paying might not want to, or that the expense is significant.

Examples

• My parents offered to foot the bill for our wedding.

  My parents offered to foot the bill for our wedding.

• Who is going to foot the bill for all these repairs?

  Who is going to foot the bill for all these repairs?

• The company will foot the bill for your travel expenses.

  The company will foot the bill for your travel expenses.

• I don't mind going out, as long as I don't have to foot the bill.

  I don't mind going out, as long as I don't have to foot the bill.

• Taxpayers will ultimately have to foot the bill for the new stadium.

  Taxpayers will ultimately have to foot the bill for the new stadium.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He will pay the bill with his foot.

  ✓ He will foot the bill.

  'Foot' is used as a verb here meaning 'to pay'. It has nothing to do with physical feet.

• ✗ The boss footed the bills for dinner.

  ✓ The boss footed the bill for dinner.

  The idiom is almost always singular: 'foot the bill'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Don't worry about the hotel costs; the agency will ___.

  💡 Pay for the expenses.

  Show answer

  foot the bill

• I can't believe I had to ___ for everyone's drinks last night.

  💡 Pay the entire cost.

  Show answer

  foot the bill