tab

Compared meaning: a bill for food or drinks (noun).

比较义项：账单（n.）。

• check

  In American English, this is the itemized bill a server brings to the table once a meal is finished; asking for 'the check' is the standard restaurant phrase.

  在美式英语中，尤指服务员在用餐结束后送到餐桌上的账单清单；索要账单的标准说法就是“the check”。

  The waiter brought our check as soon as we finished eating.

  服务员一等我们吃完就把账单送了过来。

• tab 本词

  Refers to a running total of charges, often at a bar, that builds up over time before being settled all at once; more informal, as in 'open a tab' or 'pick up the tab'.

  指在酒吧等场合逐渐累积、最后一次性结清的消费总额；语气更随意，常见于“开一个tab（挂账）”或“pick up the tab（请客买单）”等说法。

  He ran up a large tab at the bar before closing time.

  打烊前，他在酒吧已经积攒了一大笔账单。

Check and tab both can mean a bill for food or drinks. Check, in American English, is the bill a server brings after a meal. Tab is casual, a running total settled all at once, often at a bar. Not compared: check (inspect), tab (label).

这两个词在“账单”这个意义上很接近，但语域和使用场景不同：check 更正式、特指美式英语中餐厅服务员送来的账单；tab 更随意，指逐渐累积、之后一次性结清的消费额，常用于酒吧。这里不比较 check 的“检查”动词义，也不比较 tab 的“标签”“拉环”等其他义项。