expense account

American  

noun

1. an account of business expenditures, as travel, hotel room, meals, and entertainment connected with work, for which an employee will be reimbursed by an employer.

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expense account British  

noun

1. an arrangement by which expenses incurred in the course of a person's work are refunded by his employer or deducted from his income for tax purposes

2. a record of such expenses

3. informal (modifier) paid for by an employer or by money allowable against tax

   an expense-account lunch

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expense account Cultural  

1. An account or list of expenses incurred in doing business outside the office, part of which is a tax deduction. The term often applies to lunches or dinners at which business deals are made and clients entertained.

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Etymology

Origin of expense account

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

When it did not, the bill was paid through the governor’s $95,000 annual expense account.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2023

That same Roosevelt ran for mayor in 1965, and laid into the incumbent, Sam Yorty, for paying his dues to the segregated Jonathan Club with his city expense account.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2023

She wrote plenty about both those places too, but Morris was no stranger to an expense account.

From New York Times • Dec. 18, 2022

In the late 1980s I was shown the financial summary of a CEO's expense account.

From Salon • Nov. 3, 2022

Greenland Supermarkets sacked Dad 'cause an expense account was £20 short.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell