opportunity cost

[ op-er-too-ni-tee kawst ]

/ ˌɒp ərˈtu nɪ ti ˌkɔst /

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noun Economics.

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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Origin of opportunity cost

First recorded in 1910–15

Words nearby opportunity cost

opportunism, opportunist, opportunistic, opportunistic infection, opportunity, opportunity cost, opportunity shop, opposable, opposable thumb, oppose, opposed

How to use opportunity cost in a sentence

They actually also say that how you judge the value of what you’re doing is not only based on what you’re doing, but it’s also based on opportunity cost.
Am I Boring You? (Ep. 225 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 25, 2021|Freakonomics
Because there’s a significant opportunity cost of not asking such questions.
Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question? (Ep. 451)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 11, 2021|Freakonomics
Just think of all the opportunity cost of decreasing that novelty-seeking.
Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar? (Ep. 445)|Stephen J. Dubner|December 24, 2020|Freakonomics
When they have the alerts on, they start thinking about the opportunity cost of that leisure.
How to Stop Feeling Crushed for Time - Issue 92: Frontiers|Brian Gallagher|October 28, 2020|Nautilus

On the other hand, if we think about it economically, you think about opportunity costs.
The Prime Minister Who Cried Brexit (Ep. 392)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 10, 2019|Freakonomics
Using standard methods, the cost of printing DNA could run upwards of a billion dollars or more, depending on the strand.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The sensation these objects presented receded as their cost increased,” notes Rabinowitz.
How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature|Wendy Smith|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Like him, they identified the Airbus A320 as an airplane extremely well fitted to low cost airline operations in Asia.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Malaysian-based entrepreneur Tony Fernandes has turned AirAsia into the most successful low cost airline in southeast Asia.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Both parties are now equal opportunity offenders when it comes to gaming the system.
The 100 Rich People Who Run America|Mark McKinnon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Wurzel was quite right; they had been supplied, regardless of cost, from Messrs. Rochet and Stole's well-known establishment.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
I seized the opportunity to watch what I supposed would be a most interesting interview, from behind a curtain.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
They feel that the system has few advantages to offer in return for the cost it entails upon them.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
He became a doctor in two hours, and it only cost him twenty dollars to complete his education.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
The real experience has a magnetism of its own and will win above mere technicality whenever it has the opportunity.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick

British Dictionary definitions for opportunity cost

opportunity cost

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012