expenditure

American  

[ik-spen-di-cher] / ɪkˈspɛn dɪ tʃər /

noun

1. the act of expending something, especially funds; disbursement; consumption.

2. something that is expended; expense.

   Unnecessary expenditures include those for luxury items.

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expenditure British  

/ ɪkˈspɛndɪtʃə /

noun

1. something expended, such as time or money

2. the act of expending

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Other Word Forms

• overexpenditure noun
• preexpenditure noun
• superexpenditure noun

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.

Example Sentences

He also says that lower capital expenditure outlook is positive for cash generation, which came as a surprise, and the new lower level is one that should be sustainable even if macro trends improve.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

But like a world-class athlete accustomed to extreme rigor, he seemed unfazed by the expenditure of energy.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Bearstar Strategies said in a statement last week that it had suspended all activity on Swalwell’s independent expenditure.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The scheme will be funded through changes to the energy system and government expenditure, with no impact on domestic bills.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

For myself, I found that I was expressing my tendency to lavish expenditure, and to patronise Herbert, and to boast of my great prospects, before I quite knew that I had opened my lips.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Related Words

• amount
• consumption
• cost
• disbursement
• expense
• figure
• investment
• outlay
• output
• price
• rate
• spending
• value