expendable

American  

[ik-spen-duh-buhl] / ɪkˈspɛn də bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being expended.

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

3. considered to be not worth keeping or maintaining.

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

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noun

1. Usually expendables. an expendable person or thing.

expendable British  

/ ɪkˈspɛndəbəl /

adjective

1. that may be expended or used up

2. not essential; not worth preserving

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

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noun

1. something that is expendable

Other Word Forms

• expendability noun
• nonexpendable adjective

Etymology

Origin of expendable

First recorded in 1795–1805; expend + -able

Example Sentences

Atacms stands for Army Tactical Missile System, while Himars is an acronym for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, an Army truck that carries expendable pods of rockets or missiles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Both players are aging and expendable and it seems like the Dodgers would be fine without them.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Despite his religious stature, Khamenei has increasingly become politically expendable, analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

Stoke Space plans to launch an expendable rocket next year to collect data for its push for reusable vehicles, while Relativity Space wants to test its medium-to-heavy lift, reusable rocket in late 2026.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025

My years there created for me an expendable past, disposable as a plastic cup.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• disposable
• superfluous
• unimportant