# Split the bill: meaning and other ways to say it

Canonical URL: https://www.evenoutapp.com/glossary/split-the-bill
Updated: 2026-10-06

To split the bill means to divide the total between the people who share it. Cambridge Dictionary defines to split money as to divide it in order to share it between people. The word does not say equally. A $60 bill for three people is $20 each when split evenly, or a different amount each when split by what was ordered.

Key points:
- To split the bill is to divide the total between the people sharing it. The phrase does not say whether the shares are equal.
- A $60 bill for three is $20 each evenly, or $28, $17 and $15 if the dishes were $28, $17 and $15.
- Cambridge lists bill as the UK word and check as the US word for the paper that shows what you owe at a restaurant.
- Cambridge's business entry gives 50/50, 60/40 and 70/30 as splits, so an uneven split is still a split.

## What does split the bill mean?

To split the bill means to divide the total of a bill between the people who share it. Cambridge Dictionary's business entry defines split as "to divide money in order to share it between people, organizations, or groups".

The phrase says nothing about equal shares. Say three friends owe $60 at a restaurant, and the dishes were $28, $17 and $15.

- **Split evenly:** $60 divided by 3 is $20.00 each. The person with the $15 dish pays $5.00 more than their food cost, and the person with the $28 dish pays $8.00 less.
- **Split by what each person ate:** $28.00, $17.00 and $15.00, which still adds up to $60.00.

Both are called splitting the bill. Cambridge's business entry lists splits of 50/50, 60/40 and 70/30, and shows "equally" and "evenly" as words you add when you mean equal shares. For when each approach fits, see [splitting evenly or paying for what you ordered](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/split-evenly-or-pay-for-what-you-ordered).

## What are other ways to say it?

The common ones are split the check, split or share the cost, and go Dutch. A longer list is in [split the bill synonyms](https://www.evenoutapp.com/glossary/split-the-bill-synonyms).

- **Split the check.** The same phrase in US usage. Cambridge gives bill as the UK word and check as the US word for "a piece of paper given to you when you have finished eating at a restaurant, showing how much money you owe."
- **Split the cost, share the cost.** The same idea for any shared expense, not only a restaurant. Cambridge's example for share is "We'll share the cost between us", and for split it is "Let's split the cost right down the middle".
- **Go Dutch.** Cambridge marks it informal and defines it as "to agree to share the cost of something, especially a meal". The meaning of [go Dutch](https://www.evenoutapp.com/glossary/go-dutch) has its own entry, because Dictionary.com words it differently: "with each person paying their own expenses".

## How do you split a bill in EvenOut?

Add the bill as one expense and choose how to split it. "Equally" shows "$20.00 each · 3 people" for the $60 example. For the by-what-was-ordered version, choose "By item", add a line for each dish with its price, and mark who had it. The lines must add up to $60.00, and the pill reads "All assigned" when they do.

The method is chosen per expense, so a group can split one dinner evenly and the next one by item. For splits that are neither, [how to split a bill unevenly](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/split-bill-unevenly) covers percent and shares, and [how to split expenses](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-split-expenses) covers the general case.

## Frequently asked questions

### What if the bill does not divide evenly into cents?

Say the bill is $50.00 for three people. $50.00 divided by 3 is about $16.67, so two people pay $16.67 and one pays $16.66, which adds up to $50.00. EvenOut's equal split shares out the extra cent this way, so the shares always match the bill.

### How do you split a bill when one person only had a drink?

Use exact amounts. If Cy had a $6 tea and Ana and Ben had $54 of food between them, Cy pays $6.00 and Ana and Ben pay $27.00 each. In EvenOut, choose 'Exact amounts' and the pill reads 'All assigned' when the three add up to $60.00.

### Does the bill include the tip when you split it?

The bill is whatever total the check shows, so it includes the tip only if the tip is printed on it. When the tip is added afterwards, agree whether it follows each person's share or is split equally, and apply the same rule to the tax.

## Sources

- [Cambridge Dictionary: split](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/split)
- [Cambridge Dictionary: bill](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bill)
- [Cambridge Dictionary: check](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/check)
- [Cambridge Dictionary: share](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/share)
- [Cambridge Dictionary: go Dutch](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/go-dutch)
- [Dictionary.com: go Dutch](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/go-dutch)