at the expense of

1. Also, at one's expense.

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

3. 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

Maresca has picked the teenager at the expense of a natural striker Marc Guiu in the Premier League, despite the Spaniard's recall from a loan spell at Sunderland on deadline day to replace the injured Liam Delap, while Nicolas Jackson left for Bayern Munich.

From BBC

Prop Hannah Botterman has recovered from a back problem to reclaim her place at the expense of Kelsey Clifford, who scored two tries in the win over Scotland.

From BBC

In the past week we’ve seen television pundits and journalists publicly lose their jobs over their coverage of Kirk’s death, and Abbott is capitalizing on that momentum for himself at the expense of Texas’ youth.

From Slate

“And it comes at the expense of our taxpayers, our small businesses and our minority communities.”

From Los Angeles Times

As with many other top administration officials, Patel’s value is primarily as a propagandist, even at the expense of his actual job.

From Salon