# pick up the tab

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pick-up-the-tab
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- Don't worry, I will pick up the tab today.
- Since it is your birthday, let me pick up the tab for our dinner tonight.
- The generous host insisted on picking up the tab for the entire group, refusing to let his guests contribute a single cent.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.