expendable

[ ik-spen-duh-buh l ]

/ ɪkˈspɛn də bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR expendable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of being expended.

(of an item of equipment or supply) consumed in use or not reusable.

considered to be not worth keeping or maintaining.

Military. (of personnel, equipment, or supplies) capable of being sacrificed in order to accomplish a military objective.

noun

Usually expendables. an expendable person or thing.

Nearby words

Origin of expendable

First recorded in 1795–1805; expend + -able

Related formsex·pend·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·ex·pend·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for expendable

Because when it comes to The Expendables franchise, no plot is expendable.
I Am The Hague! Sylvester Stallone's 'Expendable' Wet Dream|Amy Zimmerman|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They (critics of reform) think these people are expendable,” says Simpson.
The Anguish of Alan Simpson, Tragic Hero of Immigration Reform|Eleanor Clift|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To put it bluntly: it often leads to making everything else a secondary—that is, expendable—issue.
When ‘Israel First’ Means Condoning Old-School Anti-Semitism|Anna Momigliano|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"As a result, he treats workers as expendable resources without taking into account their contributions," Stone writes.
Jeff Bezos’s Dad Was a Circus Performer and 5 More Juicy Bits From the Tell-All Book|Nina Strochlic|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Expendable money, in turn, amounts of ground organization, media buys, and, ultimately, votes.
Should Gingrich and Paul Drop Out?|Daniel Stone|February 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A commonplace: why go on worrying at it, insisting that no one is expendable?
The Trial of Callista Blake|Edgar Pangborn
Hoskins goes, because of all of us, the Engineer is most expendable.
Breaking Point|James E. Gunn
I know you hate to burn up a ship, but this one is supposed to be expendable.
Unwise Child|Gordon Randall Garrett
From a practical standpoint, however, anything that James contracted for was expendable and of vital necessity.
The Fourth R|George Oliver Smith
We reject any insinuation that one race or another, one people or another, is in any sense inferior or expendable.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches|Various

British Dictionary definitions for expendable

expendable

/ (ɪkˈspɛndəbəl) /

adjective

that may be expended or used up

not essential; not worth preserving

able to be sacrificed to achieve an objective, esp a military one

noun

something that is expendable

Derived Formsexpendability, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for expendable

expendable

adj.

1805, from expend + -able.

expendable

adjective

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of expendable

Examples from the Web for expendable

expendable

adjective

noun

expendable