at the expense of
Idioms-
Also, at one's expense.
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Paid for by someone, as in The hotel bill for the sales force is at the expense of the company . [Mid-1600s]
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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]
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.
“AI should expand opportunity — not come at the expense of workers and families,” Newsom said last month in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
As Fennell reminds us at the end of the film, justice — if it ever comes — often arrives too late, and at the expense of too many lives.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
She accommodated him at the expense of her own writing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The move into Treasurys comes at the expense of many smaller and mid-cap stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
In South Africa, it is hard for a man to ignore the needs of the people, even at the expense of his own family.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
