an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expense for a given period in the future.
a plan of operations based on such an estimate.
an itemized allotment of funds, time, etc., for a given period.
the total sum of money set aside or needed for a purpose.
the construction budget.
a limited stock or supply of something.
his budget of goodwill.
Obsolete. a small bag; pouch.
to plan allotment of (funds, time, etc.).
to deal with (specific funds) in a budget.
an itemized summary of expected income and expenditure of a country, company, etc, over a specified period, usually a financial year
an estimate of income and a plan for domestic expenditure of an individual or a family, often over a short period, such as a month or a week
a restriction on expenditure (esp in the phrase on a budget )
(modifier) economical; inexpensive
budget meals for a family
the total amount of money allocated for a specific purpose during a specified period
archaic a stock, quantity, or supply
(tr) to enter or provide for in a budget
to plan the expenditure of (money, time, etc)
(intr) to make a budget
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English bowgett, from Middle French, bougette, from bouge “bag” (from Latin bulga; see bulge) + -ette -ette )
A budget is a sum of money set aside and divided up to cover particular expenses. Like allotting certain amounts for food, rent, movies, and manicures every month to make sure you don't run out of cash. From the Middle French bougette, the noun budget translated to “leather pouch” when it was first used in the early 15th century. Perhaps a leather pouch to hold gold coins? It wasn’t until 1733 that the word took on the more specific financial meaning it has nowadays. You can budget all sorts of things, including time, money, and energy. Every year, Congress tries to balance the federal budget — but that's no easy task.
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According to Budget Your Trip, the average person who is not attending a wedding spends $19 per day on food.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
In March, the unemployment rate stood at 4.3%, close to both the Federal Reserve’s estimate of long-run normal unemployment and Congressional Budget Office projections for the coming decade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
The Social Security Administration implemented a new rule under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 that changed the way married people could receive spousal benefits.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Budget airline EasyJet has branded a possible takeover approach from a US firm as "highly opportunistic".
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
“Right there is James Atlas, the writer from The New Yorker. Over here, that’s Frank Raines. He is the head of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration.”
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
