billfold
A man's folding wallet for cash and cards — the back-pocket kind.
Also called wallet.
Updated September 21, 2026
billfold pronunciation
/BIL-fohld/
Meaning
Same job as a wallet: holds paper money, ID, and a few cards. In Southern and Appalachian talk, billfold is still the word a lot of older men reach for. It usually means a slim fold that rides in a jeans pocket, not a purse or a thick travel pouch.
How folks use it
- “Check Daddy's billfold on the dresser — I need a twenty for gas.”
- “He sat on his billfold so long the cards got a permanent bend in them.”
Origin and etymology
American word from the late 1800s: bill (paper money) plus fold. Etymonline dates it around 1879. Dictionary of American Regional English calls it widespread but least common in the Northeast and Pacific. Rural Southern speech kept it everyday longer than coastal cities, where wallet took over earlier.
Frequently asked questions
Is a billfold different from a wallet?
Same basic thing. Billfold usually means the thin fold for bills. Wallet is the broader, more modern word.