cost center

American  

noun

1. any unit of activity, group of employees or machines, line of products, etc., isolated or arranged in order to allocate and assign costs more easily.

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Example Sentences

Each trailer uses about 4,500 pounds of the lightweight metal, which is also its biggest cost center.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

AI ethics is “seen as a cost center, not a revenue center,” Chowdhury said.

From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2023

At another meeting a commissioner said it would be "cool" if, instead of being a cost center, the jail could be a "profit center."

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2021

I mean they’re so involved in the mindset that, you know, customer service is a cost center that should be made as small as possible.

From The Verge • Mar. 23, 2021

“We think there is going to be a real need for physical space - but it’s such a cost center and burden right now,” Koh says.

From Washington Times • Nov. 22, 2020