pick up the tab

present singular third person picks up the tab · participle present picking up the tab · participle past picked up the tab · past picked up the tab

1. USidiomaticintransitiveTo accept a bill and pay it, especially at a bar or restaurant.

   Meanwhile, the taxpayer picked up the tab for over 50% of track and train costs at Northern, Merseyrail and the Transport for Wales rail operation.

   2020 March 25, Philip Haigh, “Analysis: Where the money comes from... and where it goes”, in Rail, page 34

   2 more examples

   When the bill came to just 33,000 forints, I did something very out of character: I picked up the tab. It blew the budget for the day, but felt great.

   2014 January 30, Seth Kugel, “Wintertime Bargains in Budapest”, in The New York Times

   A stranger picked up the tab for the coffee order of the next customer in the drive-through line at a Tim Hortons coffeehouse in Winnipeg, Canada. And that customer picked up the tab of the person behind him.

   2025 November 13, Kamala Thiagarajan, “If you're going to be kind to another human, today is the day to do it!”, in NPR