fill the bill

present singular third person fills the bill · participle present filling the bill · participle past filled the bill · past filled the bill

1. alternativeAlternative form of fit the billFirst known use 19th c.

   You've got a head on your shoulders, you have! I guess you'll fill the bill.

   1893, Horatio Alger, chapter 29, in Cast Upon the Breakers

   3 more examples

   He said that the automotive industry must find a substitute for gasoline, on which the elder Edison commented that the electric storage battery has already filled the bill.

   1923 June 25, “Stratton and Edison”, in Time

   For those looking for the unusual, Boston, like most cities, has an abundance of shops that fill the bill. Forever Flamingo, on Newbury St., is now a veritable three-ring circus of some of the best examples of art-deco memorabilia.

   1976 December 18, David Holland, “Dear Santa...”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 25, page 11

   “Severance” is a so-called puzzle box show, with complex story lines that keep viewers guessing to unravel a mystery at the center of the series. Series like “Lost,” “Westworld” and “Mr. Robot” also fill the bill.

   2025 September 11, John Koblin, “Emmys Top Drama Face-Off Tells You Everything You Need to Know About TV”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Sep 2025