noun
-
something expended, such as time or money
-
the act of expending
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of expenditure
1760–70; < Medieval Latin expendit ( us ) laid out, paid (variant of expēnsus, past participle of expendere; see expend) + -ure
Explanation
In a trip budget, you need to add up all your expenditures, such as hotel, car rental and food costs against the money you have brought to spend. An expenditure is money spent on something. Expenditure is often used when people are talking about budgets. It is the government's job to decide what to do with tax money collected, or in other words, to determine the expenditure of public funds. The word is more than a long way of saying expense. In business, an expenditure implies an investment, something that will bring value over time.
Vocabulary lists containing expenditure
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Theodore Roosevelt on "New Nationalism" (1910)
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Economics
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Silicon Data LLM Token Expenditure Index, which peaked at around $2.05 at the end of May, has since plummeted more than 10% to $1.80.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
“A host of corruption allegations in Chinese arms procurement led to major arms contracts being postponed or canceled in 2024,” said Nan Tian, director of the Sipri Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
"A host of corruption allegations in Chinese arms procurement led to major arms contracts being postponed or cancelled in 2024," Nan Tian, Director of SIPRI's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme, said in a statement.
From Barron's • Nov. 30, 2025
Expenditure has reduced this month with the bulk of Rashford and Antony's wages being paid by Villa and Real Betis respectively.
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2025
State of the Nation; with regard to its Income, Expenditure, and unfunded Debt.
From The Justice and Necessity of Taxing the American Colonies, Demonstrated Together with a Vindication of the Authority of Parliament by Unknown
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.
