noun
-
something expended, such as time or money
-
the act of expending
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of expenditure
1760–70; < Medieval Latin expendit ( us ) laid out, paid (variant of expēnsus, past participle of expendere; see expend) + -ure
Explanation
In a trip budget, you need to add up all your expenditures, such as hotel, car rental and food costs against the money you have brought to spend. An expenditure is money spent on something. Expenditure is often used when people are talking about budgets. It is the government's job to decide what to do with tax money collected, or in other words, to determine the expenditure of public funds. The word is more than a long way of saying expense. In business, an expenditure implies an investment, something that will bring value over time.
Vocabulary lists containing expenditure
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Theodore Roosevelt on "New Nationalism" (1910)
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Economics
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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.
Despite concerns over higher capital expenditure and diluted software margins, analysts see Oracle’s stock fall as a buying opportunity.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
Germany has overtaken the U.K. to become Europe’s largest military spender, with its expenditure growing 24% year-over-year to $114 billion, reaching 2.3% of GDP in 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
The New Jersey governor has said the inflated prices are because Fifa has refused to subsidise transport expenditure.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
Higher capital expenditure, revenue guidance falling short of expectations, and the growth of cloud computing diluting the company’s software margins all look like concerns.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
This need to be always on guard was an unmeasured expenditure of energy, the slow siphoning of the essence.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
