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.

---

Example Sentences

It is now something closer to a fiscal cost center.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 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

The organization, once seen as an advantage, has become a cost center.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2018