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direct cost

American  

noun

  1. a cost that can be related directly to the production of a product or to a particular function or service.


Etymology

Origin of direct cost

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A more direct cost of new bans would be to cut off a pipeline of potential users who would stick with the app as adults.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

It was obviously in that farmer’s self-interest to do so, there being no direct cost to him.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025

With that in hand, they approached attorneys general in multiple states and made a compelling offer: hire them, at no direct cost to taxpayers, and recoup millions of dollars Centene had already set aside.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2024

Newark, N.J., replaced its more than 23,000 lead water lines via a three-year, $170-million program that commenced in 2019, all at no direct cost to homeowners — despite what Kobach et al. claimed.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2024

The direct cost of the war for all belligerent nations to May 1, 1918, was reported at about $175,000,000,000 by the Federal Reserve board bulletin, issued November 18.

From America's War for Humanity by Russell, Thomas Herbert