expense

American  

[ik-spens] / ɪkˈspɛns /

noun

• expenses
  plural

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)

• expenses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• expensed,
  past participle,  past
• expensing
  present participle

1. to charge or write off as an expense.

verb (used without object)

• expenses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• expensed,
  past participle,  past
• expensing
  present participle

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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Synonym Usage

See price.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preexpense
  noun
• expenseless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• expenses
  plural

Participles

• expensing
  present
• expensed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• expense
  simple
• expenses
  simple
• have expensed
  perfect
• has expensed
  perfect
• am expensing
  progressive
• are expensing
  progressive
• is expensing
  progressive
• have been expensing
  perfect progressive
• has been expensing
  perfect progressive

Past

• expensed
  simple
• had expensed
  perfect
• was expensing
  progressive
• were expensing
  progressive
• had been expensing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will expense
  simple
• will have expensed
  perfect
• will be expensing
  progressive
• will have been expensing
  perfect progressive

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”; see 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

See Examples For:

expense expenses expensed expensing

According to him, the military junta would now prioritise protecting itself, at the expense of the fight against terrorism.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

Meta has fought hard, over multiple lawsuits spanning many months and at great expense, to defend its commitment to protecting children on its platforms.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

It gave no dollar amount for that revenue, nor the year earlier figure, nor any expense or profit data for Azure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Any employer-provided health insurance or benefits will also now be an out-of-pocket expense unless you have a spouse who can add you to their plan.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

This Sunday was to be a feast day for everyone, but more especially for the twenty-four elders, who were, that day, to be gloriously banqueted at the saints’ expense and labor.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

Membership of Dol-llys, apart from those renting, is on a loan stock basis with the community being equal shareholders, and residents pay a monthly service charge for group expenses and projects.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Beyond the profound effects on independence and quality of life, vision loss also creates a global economic burden estimated at over US$400 billion per year through healthcare expenses and lost productivity.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

Adjusted earnings per share, excluding tariff refunds and expenses associated with bankruptcy acquired leases, were $2.37, ahead of the $2.19 anticipated by analysts, according to FactSet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The U.S. now spends $1 trillion yearly, or 15% of its total outlays, on interest expenses, which is more than it spends on healthcare or national defense, according to Treasury data.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

He was invited to be the guest of honor at the First Philippine International Chess Tournament in 1973, and in addition to the honorarium mentioned above, all of his expenses were paid.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

A startup founder who expensed “cellulite butter” to the bank during her trial for defrauding the bank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Foreign-based expenses still must be expensed over 15 years.

From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026

“Edison will go to the California Utility Commission and say, ‘We need this money to be expensed in rates.’”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025

But LaPierre conceded he wrongly expensed private flights for his family and accepted vacations from vendors doing business with the nonprofit gun rights organization without disclosing them.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

There were at Athens various funds, applicable to public purposes; one of which, and among the most considerable, was appropriated for the expensed of sacrifices, processions, festivals, spectacles, and of the theatres.

From The Mirror Of Literature, Amusement, And Instruction Volume 14, No. 391, September 26, 1829 by Various

Zion Research Group, which specializes in accounting and taxes, estimates the latest 100% expensing provision was worth $31.8 billion last year to Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet and Oracle combined, relative to the expiring provision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

They should improve upon the investment provisions in the tax act by making all the expensing provisions permanent, for instance.

From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026

That stimulus includes tax refunds, 100% expensing of business investment, mortgage-backed securities purchases and financial deregulation, they noted.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026

Its expensing provisions could lift business investment, and exemptions for tips and overtime and larger state-and-local tax deductions will increase take-home pay for some.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

By being placed in the centre of the clearing, an assault could not be made without expensing the assailants, and the spring always assured to the garrison the great requisite, water.

From Wyandotte by James Fenimore Cooper

Related Words

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