fit the bill en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From earlier fill the bill, perhaps from the program (or bill) of theatrical acts.
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements.
Near-synonym: make the grade
Robert Plomin, a behavioral geneticist at King's College London, adds that new research suggests humans with autism, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder tend to marry each other, and that the new method can explore whether those choices, too, are rooted in DNA. Robinson hopes to use his method to test more similarities in couples, including his own marriage. "Yes, we both have Ph.D.s and we're both tall," he says. "We fit the bill."
2017 January 9, Ann Gibbons, “Your choice of a life partner is no accident”, in Science:
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(idiomatic, intransitive) To match the description.
The Vermont State Police spent the first few months treating Brianna’s case with scepticism concerning foul play. Brianna was profiled as a teen with an unstable living situation and a habit of moving between houses. To the police, she fit the bill for a runaway.
2026 July 16, Nicholas Muhoro, “Inside the 2004 Brianna Maitland Case: One of Vermont’s Most Haunting Mysteries”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 21 Jul 2026:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| fill the bill | alternative | lexicographic | |
| fits the bill | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| fitting the bill | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| fit the bill | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| fit the bill | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (8)
it essere adatto (to satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements) · pl nadawać się (to satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements) · es dar la talla (to satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements) · fr faire l'affaire (to satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements) · pl nadać się (to satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements) · fi täyttää odotukset (to satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements) · fi sopia (to satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements) · it soddisfare (to satisfy a need; to serve a purpose; to fulfill specified requirements)