at all costs

Idioms  

1. Also,. Regardless of the expense or effort involved, by any means. For example, Ann told the doctor to preserve her mother's sight at all costs, or It seems the company plans to develop the product at any cost, or I'm determined to get vacation time at any price. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

The commander of ground troops, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, tries to bigfoot him, insisting the attack must go ahead at all costs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

One problem with formal language learning is that it encourages us to focus on accuracy at all costs.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

Nearly 90% of the Taiwanese people oppose a Chinese takeover, and about 60% say they would resist it at all costs.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

In a rare public appearance by a senior advisor, he also denied telling the Foreign Office "explicitly or implicitly" that security checks "should be cleared at all costs".

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

He took obsessive zeal in recording captured goods and would defend them at all costs.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson