capital expenditure

American  

noun

Accounting, Finance.

1. an addition to the value of fixed assets, as by the purchase of a new building.

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capital expenditure British  

noun

1. expenditure on acquisitions of or improvements to fixed assets

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capital expenditure Cultural  

1. The purchase of an asset by a firm.

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Etymology

Origin of capital expenditure

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Wells Fargo expects the company to maintain its capital expenditure forecast of $175 billion to $185 billion, with limited forward commentary on 2027.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Meta’s free cash flow is expected to fall to $6.25 billion this year from $43.80 billion in 2025 according to FactSet, due to mounting capital expenditure on AI infrastructure.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Historically, Petronas has ramped up capital expenditure following oil-price rallies, as seen after the 2016 and 2022 upcycles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Micron’s significant increase in capital expenditure raises concerns around its vulnerability to a memory market downturn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

The extra cost of using treated carbide falls upon the revenue account, and is much more noticeable than that of a large holder, which is capital expenditure.

From Acetylene, the Principles of Its Generation and Use A Practical Handbook on the Production, Purification, and Subsequent Treatment of Acetylene for the Development of Light, Heat, and Power by Leeds, F. H. (Frank Henley)