expense

American  

[ik-spens] / ɪkˈspɛns /

noun

1. cost or charge.

   the expense of a good meal.

   Synonyms:

   expenditure, outlay

2. a cause or occasion of spending.

   A car can be a great expense.

3. the act of expending; expenditure.

4. expenses,

   1. charges incurred during a business assignment or trip.

   2. money paid as reimbursement for such charges.

      to receive a salary and expenses.

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verb (used with object)

expensed, expensing

1. to charge or write off as an expense.

verb (used without object)

expensed, expensing

1. to be expensed.

idioms

1. at the expense of, at the sacrifice of; to the detriment of.

   quantity at the expense of quality.

expense British  

/ ɪkˈspɛns /

noun

1. a particular payment of money; expenditure

2. money needed for individual purchases; cost; charge

3. (plural) incidental money spent in the performance of a job, commission, etc, usually reimbursed by an employer or allowable against tax

4. something requiring money for its purchase or upkeep

   the car was more of an expense than he had expected

5. to the detriment of

   he succeeded at the expense of his health

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verb

1. (tr) to treat as an expense for book-keeping or tax purposes

expense More Idioms  

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

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Related Words

See price.

Other Word Forms

• expenseless adjective
• preexpense noun

Etymology

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”; expend

Explanation

An expense is a cost, but you can also use this word to mean the figurative cost of something. If you find it embarrassing to dress up as Santa, you might say that you do it to amuse your nephews, at the expense of your pride. When you give one thing up in order to get something else, its cost or sacrifice is the expense of getting what you want. You might worry that politicians want to cut taxes at the expense of schools that need money, or that oil companies increase drilling at the expense of the environment. The root of expense the Latin expendere, "to weigh out money or pay down."

Example Sentences

“I think it’s emblematic of the way in which the ‘F’ at the FDA has often been silent — and food issues have often been deprioritized at the expense of drug issues,” she adds.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

Though many raised prices, they often did not increase them by enough to fully offset the tariff expense.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Since late 2023, the Treasury has tried to limit the rise in burgeoning interest expense by issuing more short-term bills rather than intermediate- and longer-dated securities.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Parents can also deposit money from tax refunds or pay bonuses into the 529 — but, once again, not at the expense of these other, more urgent goals below, experts said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

This was the boon of having a summer associate to advise: It was an excuse to eat out and eat well, and to do it on the firm’s expense account.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• amount
• budget
• charge
• consumption
• debt
• expenditure
• insurance
• investment
• liability
• loan
• loss
• mortgage
• obligation
• outlay
• payroll
• price
• price tag
• rate
• risk
• spending