fee S3 W3 AC /fiː/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: fé , fief , from Medieval Latin feudum ; ⇨ ↑ feudal ]
an amount of money that you pay to do something or that you pay to a professional person for their work:
You can use the gym and pool for a fee of £35 a month.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ small/low
Some companies will sell the items for you, for a small fee.
▪ high/large/big
The school fees are extremely high.
▪ a hefty/fat fee informal (=a very large fee)
Customers are being charged a hefty fee for their telephone service.
▪ an annual/a monthly fee
An annual fee of £150 has been introduced.
▪ an entrance/entry fee (=a fee to enter a place)
The gallery charges an entrance fee.
▪ a membership fee (=a fee to become a member of a club or organization)
The gym’s yearly membership fee is £250.
▪ a subscription fee (=a fee to receive copies of a newspaper or magazine)
You can pay the subscription fee by cheque.
▪ school/college/university fees
She paid for her college fees by taking a part-time job as a waitress.
▪ tuition fees (=money paid for being taught)
Many universities now charge tuition fees for these courses.
▪ doctor’s/lawyer’s/accountant’s etc fees
We need to find the money for the doctor’s fees somehow.
▪ legal/medical fees
She received £300 compensation after legal fees had been deducted.
▪ a flat/fixed/set fee (=a fee that is the same in every case)
You pay a flat fee for all the services that are provided.
▪ a booking fee ( also a service fee American English ) (=a charge you pay when buying a ticket)
Tickets for the concert are £45, plus a booking fee.
▪ a cancellation fee (=a charge for ending an agreement you have made to travel on a train, stay at a hotel etc)
A 10% cancellation fee will be charged if the booking is cancelled.
▪ a licence fee British English (=the money a television licence costs)
The licence fee is set to rise again.
■ verbs
▪ charge a fee
The accountant charged a big fee for his services.
▪ pay a fee
You have to pay a small fee to rent a locker.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ cost the amount of money you need to buy or do something. Cost is usually used when talking in a general way about whether something is expensive or cheap rather than when talking about exact prices:
The cost of running a car is increasing.
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the cost of raw materials
▪ price the amount of money you must pay for something that is for sale:
They sell good-quality clothes at reasonable prices.
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the price of a plane ticket to New York
▪ value the amount of money that something is worth:
A new kitchen can increase the value of your home.
▪ charge the amount that you have to pay for a service or to use something:
Hotel guests may use the gym for a small charge.
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bank charges
▪ fee the amount you have to pay to enter a place or join a group, or for the services of a professional person such as a lawyer or a doctor:
There is no entrance fee.
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The membership fee is £125 a year.
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legal fees
▪ fare the amount you have to pay to travel somewhere by bus, plane, train etc:
I didn’t even have enough money for my bus fare.
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fare increases
▪ rent the amount you have to pay to live in or use a place that you do not own:
The rent on his apartment is $800 a month.
▪ rate a charge that is set according to a standard scale:
Most TV stations offer special rates to local advertisers.
▪ toll the amount you have to pay to travel on some roads or bridges:
You have to pay tolls on many French motorways.