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marginal cost

American  

noun

Economics.

  1. the cost of one additional unit of any item produced or bought in quantity.

marginal cost Cultural  

  1. The change in total cost of production when an output is varied by one unit.

Etymology

Origin of marginal cost

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Marginal cost of production in U.S. unconventional is estimated at $75 a barrel.

From Forbes • Oct. 9, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.