expense
[ ik-spens ]
/ ɪkˈspɛns /
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,
- charges incurred during a business assignment or trip.
- 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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RELATED WORDS
loan, rate, insurance, sum, investment, charge, risk, price, liability, expenditure, obligation, debt, tariff, mortgage, loss, outlay, consumption, budget, value, amount
Nearby words
Idioms
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
Related forms
ex·pense·less, adjectivepre·ex·pense, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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.