till
UK /tɪl/ US /tɪl/ Syllables: till
Quick answer
A drawer or machine in a shop used to hold money and record sales.
A till is the place in a shop where money is kept and sales are recorded. It is the drawer or machine at the checkout where the cashier takes your payment and gives you change. You pay at the till, and an assistant works on the till. The word is used in both British and American English, but it is more common in Britain, where it is now usually part of a cash register. There are two other words spelled till. One means until, as in wait till tomorrow. The other is a verb that means to prepare soil for growing crops. They are separate words with separate histories, so this page is only about the money drawer.
"The cashier opened the till to give him his change."Example sentences
-
"Please pay at the till."
Level A1
-
"The shop assistant opened the till."
Level A2
-
"There was no money left in the till after the sale."
Level A2
-
"The queue at the till was very long."
Level A2
Synonyms and antonyms
Synonyms
Look-alikes and common mistakes
- until : Until is the longer form of the other till, as in wait until tomorrow. It has nothing to do with the money drawer.
- cash register : A cash register is the machine that holds the till drawer. Americans often say cash register where Britons say till.
Word family and forms
Forms: tills
Word partners
Words and phrases that often go with "till".
- pay at the till
- at the till
- open the till
- empty the till
- cash till
- till receipt
Origin
This till comes from Middle English tylle, a drawer or compartment. Its own earlier source is uncertain: it may come from a verb meaning to draw, or from an Anglo-Norman word for a compartment that goes back to an Old Norse word for a plank. It is a different word from the till that means until, which comes from Old English and Old Norse til, meaning to.
Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.
Usage notes
"Till" is mainly British English; American English usually says "cash register."
How to remember it
Picture the checkout line. The place at the end of it, where you hand over your money, is the till.
Test yourself
Which word fits the gap? "Please pay at the _____."
Answer: till
In your own words, what does "till" mean?
A drawer or machine in a shop used to hold money and record sales.
Learn next at A1
- timber Wood that has been cut and prepared for building or making things.
- time The ongoing passing of minutes, hours, days, and years, or a specific...
- times Multiplied by, used to show that one number is being multiplied by ano...
- timetable A chart or list showing when events or classes happen.
- tiny Extremely small in size.
- tiptoe To walk quietly on your toes, often to avoid making noise.
Sources and credits
- Wiktionary, the free dictionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) · used for the origin, meanings, pronunciation · checked Oct 25, 2026
- Dictionary.com · used for the origin, meanings · checked Oct 25, 2026
Last reviewed October 25, 2026. Report a mistake on this page