Meaning & use
fit the bill
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Meaning
phraseidiominformal
To be exactly what is wanted or needed for a particular purpose.
Grammar: Takes a subject but no other object; the bill is part of the idiom: this room fits the bill.
Patterns
- something fits the bill
- someone fits the bill
We needed a small car, and this one fits the bill.
If you want a quiet cafe, this place will fit the bill.
The new candidate fits the bill perfectly.
Word forms
| third person singular | fits the bill |
|---|---|
| past tense | fitted the bill |
| past tense (American) | fit the bill |
| present participle | fitting the bill |
Common combinations
- fit the bill perfectly
- The apartment fits the bill perfectly.
- seem to fit the bill
- This laptop seems to fit the bill.
- fit the bill nicely
- A simple sandwich would fit the bill nicely.
- fit the bill for
- That tool fits the bill for most jobs.
- just fit the bill
- This dress will just fit the bill.
Synonyms and how they differ
- suit
- This is the plain everyday verb and can describe being right for a person, whereas fit the bill suggests meeting a set of requirements.
- meet the requirements
- This is the formal version and fits official lists, while the idiom is casual.
- do the job
- This stresses working well enough, while fit the bill suggests being exactly right.
- fill the need
- This is more formal and stresses solving a problem, with less of the casual feel.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fit the bill or foot the bill?
fit the bill vs foot the bill
This means to pay the cost of something, and it has nothing to do with suitability.
Practice
We were looking for a hotel near the station, and this one ____ perfectly.
Choose one answer.
Fits the bill means is exactly what we need. Foots the bill means pays the cost, which is the tempting but wrong idiom here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fit the bill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.