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

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

It speaks in the second person, telling you where you belong, whether you count, whether your life is expendable.

From Salon

The U.S.—long reliant on expensive fighting kit and extended processes—is trying to catch up, shifting to a starkly new era marked by nimble, relatively cheap and expendable equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The impression I’m getting is I’m not important, I’m not better, I’m expendable.”

From MarketWatch

The director has hinged his career on big swings, and “After the Hunt” might be his biggest yet: An unrelenting, puzzling and star-studded study of power and those deemed expendable in its pursuit.

From Salon

Related Words

• disposable
• superfluous
• unimportant