invoice

invoice — noun

1. a document that lists what a customer has received or what work has been done fo

1.nounB1
Definition

a document that lists what a customer has received or what work has been done for them, showing how much money they need to pay

Example

Gabriel checked the invoice before making the payment.

The office supply company sent an invoice for the new chairs last month.

collocation: send + invoice + for + [goods]

Common collocations
  • issue an invoice
  • pay an invoice
  • outstanding invoice
  • unpaid invoice
  • invoice amount
  • invoice number
Synonyms
  • bill

    more general term; used for restaurants, utilities, and everyday expenses

  • statement

    usually a summary of account activity over a period, not a single request for payment

  • tab

    informal, mainly British, for an accumulating debt at a bar or restaurant

Antonyms
  • receipt

    proof of payment already made, rather than a request for payment

Common Mistakes

Please send me a receipt for the work.' (when you mean a request for payment).
Please send me an invoice for the work.
a receipt proves payment already happened; an invoice requests payment that has not yet been made.

invoice — verb

Word family

  • invoicing
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words are often confused by learners. An 'invoice' is a formal request for payment sent by a seller to a buyer after goods or services have been provided — it tells the customer how much they owe and when to pay. A 'bill' is more general; you can get a bill at a restaurant, from a utility company, or from a plumber, and the word does not always imply a formal document format. A 'receipt' is proof that payment has already been made — you receive a receipt after paying an invoice or a bill. A 'statement' is a summary of account activity over a period, such as a monthly credit card statement showing multiple transactions. For example: 'The plumber sent an invoice for fixing the pipe. I paid it immediately and kept the receipt. At the end of the month, the bank statement showed this payment.'

invoice ↗billreceipt ↗statement ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • invoice number
  • invoice date
  • invoice amount
  • invoice payment
  • invoice copy

Adverbs

  • invoice separately
  • invoice directly
  • invoice retroactively

Phrases

  • issue an invoice
  • send an invoice
  • receive an invoice
  • pay an invoice
  • process an invoice
  • outstanding invoice

Prepositions

  • on an invoice
  • per invoice
  • as per invoice
  • invoice for [goods/services]

Etymology

LatinVulgar LatinOld FrenchMiddle FrenchEnglish

The word 'invoice' entered English in the mid-16th century from Middle French 'invoice', an adaptation of the plural 'envois' of Old French 'envoi', meaning 'a dispatch' or 'a message'. The underlying verb 'envoier' ('to send') traces back to Vulgar Latin 'inviāre', a combination of Latin 'in-' (in, on) and 'via' (way, road), giving the sense of 'to send on one's way'. The word has carried the idea of a dispatched message listing goods and their prices ever since.