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

The alternative argument about the AI build-out is buttressed by the fact that capital expenditure isn’t immediately reflected in profit and losses.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

"While reduced risks from the war have helped, the improvement in equity prices is mostly because of a robust earnings season. The driver is overwhelmingly AI-related capital expenditure," he said.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

Lenovo’s growing AI server revenue stems from continued investments by U.S. hyperscalers and the AI capital expenditure ramp-up by Chinese internet companies, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

The six-to-12 month outlook for financial markets is deteriorating as inventories fall, inflation risks rise and higher capital costs become more relevant for the AI capital expenditure boom.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

The capital expenditure is �3,127,000 by the local authorities and �12,530,000 by the companies, and their aggregate capacity of plant is 165,000 k.w.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 2 "Ehud" to "Electroscope" by Various