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View synonyms for

expense

[ ik-spens ]

noun

  1. cost or charge:

    the expense of a good meal.

    Synonyms: ,

  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.



verb (used with object)

expensed, expensing.
  1. to charge or write off as an expense.

verb (used without object)

expensed, expensing.
  1. to be expensed.

expense

/ ɪˈɛԲ /

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. at the expense of
    to the detriment of

    he succeeded at the expense of his health

“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

verb

  1. tr to treat as an expense for book-keeping or tax purposes
“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
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Other Word Forms

  • ·Բl adjective
  • e·Բ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of expense1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin ŧԲ, noun use of feminine of ŧԲܲ, past participle of expendere “to weigh out, pay”; expend
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Word History and Origins

Origin of expense1

C14: from Late Latin ŧԲ, from Latin ŧԲܲ weighed out; see expend
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. at the expense of, at the sacrifice of; to the detriment of:

    quantity at the expense of quality.

More idioms and phrases containing expense

see at the expense of ; go to the trouble (expense) ; money (expense) is no object .
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Synonym Study

See price.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"All of these places have flat floors. Why would you want the added expense of a very complex form factor... when you could just put it on a mobile base?" he asks.

From

The mayor’s budget proposed the reduction of more than $7 million in expenses and the elimination of nearly 24% of the Department of Transportation’s workforce — making it one of the heaviest-hit departments.

From

"Tanzania will not continue to allow unequal market access to persist at the expense of its people," he said.

From

If this happens, it would mark a new chapter in Ukraine-Africa relations, though not necessarily at the expense of Russia.

From

Following reports that the White House will use bilateral trade negotiations to isolate China, Beijing has warned countries against "reaching a deal at the expense of China's interests".

From

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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.

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expenditureexpense account