definitions

expense

[ ik-spens ]
/ ɪkˈspɛns /
||

noun

cost or charge: the expense of a good meal.
a cause or occasion of spending: A car can be a great expense.
the act of expending; expenditure.
expenses,
  1. charges incurred during a business assignment or trip.
  2. money paid as reimbursement for such charges: to receive a salary and expenses.

verb (used with object), ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing.

to charge or write off as an expense.

verb (used without object), ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing.

to be expensed.

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Nearby words

expeller, expellers, expend, expendable, expenditure, expense, expense account, expenses, expensive, expensively, experience

Idioms

    at the expense of, at the sacrifice of; to the detriment of: quantity at the expense of quality.

Origin of expense

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin expēnsa, noun use of feminine of expēnsus, past participle of expendere to expend
SYNONYMS FOR expense
1 outlay, expenditure. See price.
Related formsex·pense·less, adjectivepre·ex·pense, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for at the expense of

expense

/ (ɪkˈspɛns) /

noun

a particular payment of money; expenditure
money needed for individual purchases; cost; charge
(plural) incidental money spent in the performance of a job, commission, etc, usually reimbursed by an employer or allowable against tax
something requiring money for its purchase or upkeepthe car was more of an expense than he had expected
at the expense of to the detriment ofhe succeeded at the expense of his health

verb

(tr) US and Canadian to treat as an expense for book-keeping or tax purposes

Word Origin for expense

C14: from Late Latin expēnsa, from Latin expēnsus weighed out; see expend
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with at the expense of (1 of 2)

at the expense of

Also, at one's expense.

1

Paid for by someone, as in The hotel bill for the sales force is at the expense of the company. [Mid-1600s]

2

To the detriment or injury of a person or thing, as in We can't speed up production at the expense of quality, or The laughter was all at Tom's expense. [Late 1600s]

Idioms and Phrases with at the expense of (2 of 2)

expense

see at the expense of; go to the trouble (expense); money (expense) is no object.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.