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expense
[ ik-spens ]
/ ɪkˈspɛns /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
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Idioms about expense
at the expense of, at the sacrifice of; to the detriment of: quantity at the expense of quality.
Origin of expense
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin expēnsa, noun use of feminine of expēnsus, past participle of expendere “to weigh out, pay”; see expend
synonym study for expense
1. See price.
OTHER WORDS FROM expense
ex·pense·less, adjectivepre·ex·pense, nounWords nearby expense
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use expense in a sentence
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
Other 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.