expense

[ ik-spens ]
/ ɪkˈspɛns /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR expense ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

cost or charge: the expense of a good meal.
a cause or occasion of spending: A car can be a great expense.
the act of expending; expenditure.
expenses,
  1. charges incurred during a business assignment or trip.
  2. money paid as reimbursement for such charges: to receive a salary and expenses.

verb (used with object), ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing.

to charge or write off as an expense.

verb (used without object), ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing.

to be expensed.

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Idioms for expense

    at the expense of, at the sacrifice of; to the detriment of: quantity at the expense of quality.

Origin of expense

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin expēnsa, noun use of feminine of expēnsus, past participle of expendere to expend

OTHER WORDS FROM expense

ex·pense·less, adjectivepre·ex·pense, noun

Words nearby expense

expeller, expellers, expend, expendable, expenditure, expense, expense account, expensive, experience, experience is the best teacher, experience meeting
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to expense

loan, rate, insurance, sum, investment, charge, risk, price, liability, expenditure, obligation, debt, tariff, mortgage, loss, outlay, consumption, budget, value, amount

Example sentences from the Web for expense

British Dictionary definitions for expense

expense
/ (ɪkˈspɛns) /

noun

a particular payment of money; expenditure
money needed for individual purchases; cost; charge
(plural) incidental money spent in the performance of a job, commission, etc, usually reimbursed by an employer or allowable against tax
something requiring money for its purchase or upkeepthe car was more of an expense than he had expected
at the expense of to the detriment ofhe succeeded at the expense of his health

verb

(tr) US and Canadian to treat as an expense for book-keeping or tax purposes

Word Origin for expense

C14: from Late Latin expēnsa, from Latin expēnsus weighed out; see expend
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

Idioms and Phrases with expense

expense

see at the expense of; go to the trouble (expense); money (expense) is no object.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.