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]

---

Example Sentences

Temporarily shutting in wells is a direct way to reduce output, but it’s something oil companies try to avoid at all costs.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 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

Her affinity for her subject — an undisguised bias most documentary filmmakers would try to avoid at all costs — is her great advantage.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

President Donald Trump will want to avoid at all costs a prolonged surge in oil prices, which would become his political Achilles' heel.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

She’s all about talking through your feelings, which is why I avoid her at all costs.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh