opportunity cost

American  

[op-er-too-ni-tee kawst] / ˌɒp ərˈtu nɪ ti ˌkɔst /

noun

Economics.

1. the money or other benefits lost when pursuing a particular course of action instead of a mutually-exclusive alternative.

   The company cannot afford the opportunity cost attached to policy decisions made by the current CEO.

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opportunity cost British  

noun

1. economics the benefit that could have been gained from an alternative use of the same resource

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Etymology

Origin of opportunity cost

First recorded in 1910–15

Compare meaning

How does opportunity-cost compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• trade-off vs. opportunity cost

Example Sentences

The problem with this conception is the opportunity cost it exacts on the American reading public.

From Salon

For immigrants, the opportunity cost of crime rises with access to decent jobs, education, legal protections and social networks.

From The Wall Street Journal

All of those dollars represent an opportunity cost, to a degree, to the legacy banks.

From Barron's

"The opportunity costs and the economic costs of children shifted dramatically," she explains.

From BBC

But beware of the opportunity cost of having the best of the best.

From MarketWatch