expense

[ ik-spens ]

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.

verb (used with object)

, ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing.

1. to charge or write off as an expense.

verb (used without object)

, ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing.

1. to be expensed.

expense

/ 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. at the expense of
   at the expense of to the detriment of

   he succeeded at the expense of his health

verb

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

Other Words From

• ex·penseless adjective
• preex·pense noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of expense¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of expense¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

   quantity at the expense of quality.

More idioms and phrases containing expense

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

Synonym Study

See price.

Example Sentences

The banks cited a need to reduce expenses to offset the cost of credit souring during the pandemic as well as spending to comply with stricter regulation and invest in digital technology.

From Fortune

If Oracle’s interest in TikTok is primarily about cloud computing, the deal could come at the expense of Google, which is Oracle’s longtime nemesis and which currently provides cloud services to TikTok.

From Fortune

It will make markets and the capitalist system function better by rewarding positive contributions to well-being and prosperity, not wealth transfers at the expense of others.

From Fortune

Still, Walter Hyde hasn’t been able to raise his staff’s pay to $10 an hour this year like he planned, with all the extra expenses of masks and gloves.

From ProPublica

Citron Reseach thanked Hinddenburg in a tweet, offering to pay for half of any legal expenses incurred.

From Fortune

Stripped of these frills, the only real expense of a prison wedding is the officiant.

From The Daily Beast

Mattson says the government bogarts this stuff, gathered at taxpayer expense, and maintains “a monopoly on the data.”

From The Daily Beast

They even posted mundane administrative materials, including expense accounts and personnel memos.

From The Daily Beast

As might be expected, this comes at the expense of narrative.

From The Daily Beast

But the price of artistic freedom comes at the expense of professional protection.

From The Daily Beast

He asked what time was usually spent in determining between right and wrong, and what degree of expense?

From Project Gutenberg

Gourges fitted out three vessels and 150 soldiers at his own expense to revenge their death, and repair the honor of his nation.

From Project Gutenberg

I couldn't help laughing, and he made a great many jokes at the expense of the waiters and everybody else.

From Project Gutenberg

To meet this heavy expense the ministers had to devise all sorts of expedients to raise money.

From Project Gutenberg

Poor Hephzibah obeyed; she little suspected the heartless trick played at her expense.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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