expense

[ ik-spens ]

noun

1. cost or charge:

   the expense of a good meal.

   Synonyms: expenditure, outlay

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)

, ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing.

1. to charge or write off as an expense.

verb (used without object)

, ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing.

1. to be expensed.

expense

/ ɪkˈspɛns /

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

verb

1. tr to treat as an expense for book-keeping or tax purposes

Other Words From

• ex·penseless adjective
• preex·pense noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of expense¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin expēnsa, noun use of feminine of expēnsus, past participle of expendere “to weigh out, pay”; expend

Word History and Origins

Origin of expense¹

C14: from Late Latin expēnsa, from Latin expēnsus weighed out; see expend

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 .

Synonym Study

See price.

Example Sentences

Her dream was always to have a studio at home, invest in a kiln and save money on studio expenses.

From Los Angeles Times

The couple’s roles came into question in June 2022, when the commission launched a statutory inquiry to determine if they had benefitted privately at the charity’s expense.

From BBC

“My office is committed to rooting out corruption in the international marketplace and protecting investors from those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the integrity of our financial markets,” he added.

From BBC

Our climate solutions must not come at the expense of environmental justice.

From Los Angeles Times

“Her alleged actions impacted the potential for improved learning environments across major school districts by selfishly prioritizing personal expenses.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amount
• budget
• charge
• consumption
• debt
• expenditure
• insurance
• investment
• liability
• loan
• loss
• mortgage
• obligation
• outlay
• payroll
• price
• price tag
• rate
• risk
• spending