capital expenditure

American  

noun

Accounting, Finance.

1. an addition to the value of fixed assets, as by the purchase of a new building.

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capital expenditure British  

noun

1. expenditure on acquisitions of or improvements to fixed assets

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capital expenditure Cultural  

1. The purchase of an asset by a firm.

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Etymology

Origin of capital expenditure

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The alternative argument about the AI build-out is buttressed by the fact that capital expenditure isn’t immediately reflected in profit and losses.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

"While reduced risks from the war have helped, the improvement in equity prices is mostly because of a robust earnings season. The driver is overwhelmingly AI-related capital expenditure," he said.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

However, the current capital expenditure boom is “more disciplined and far more financeable cycle than the late-1990s telecom boom”, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

The six-to-12 month outlook for financial markets is deteriorating as inventories fall, inflation risks rise and higher capital costs become more relevant for the AI capital expenditure boom.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

To this must be added the consumption of iron and its replacement, which would have to be written off capital expenditure.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 799, April 25, 1891 by Various