cost

¹

[ kawst, kost ]

noun

1. the price paid to acquire, produce, accomplish, or maintain anything:

   the high cost of a good meal.

   Synonyms: outlay, expenditure, expense, charge

2. an outlay or expenditure of money, time, labor, trouble, etc.:

   What will the cost be to me?

3. a sacrifice, loss, or penalty:

   to work at the cost of one's health.

   Synonyms: detriment

4. costs, Law.
   1. money allowed to a successful party in a lawsuit in compensation for legal expenses incurred, chargeable to the unsuccessful party.
   2. money due to a court or one of its officers for services in a cause.

verb (used with object)

cost costedcosting

1. to require the payment of (money or something else of value) in an exchange:

   That camera cost $200.

2. to result in or entail the loss of:

   Carelessness costs lives.

3. to cause to lose or suffer:

   The accident cost her a broken leg.

4. to entail (effort or inconvenience):

   Courtesy costs little.

5. to cause to pay or sacrifice:

   That request will cost us two weeks' extra work.

6. to estimate or determine the cost of (manufactured articles, new processes, etc.):

   We have costed the manufacture of each item.

verb (used without object)

costed or costcosting

1. to estimate or determine costs, as of manufacturing something.

verb phrase

1. to calculate the cost of (a project, product, etc.) in advance:

   The firm that hired him just costed out a major construction project last month.

cost-

²

1. variant of costo- before a vowel:

   costate.

cost

/ kɒst /

noun

1. the price paid or required for acquiring, producing, or maintaining something, usually measured in money, time, or energy; expense or expenditure; outlay
2. suffering or sacrifice; loss; penalty

   count the cost to your health

   I know to my cost

3. 1. the amount paid for a commodity by its seller

      to sell at cost

   2. ( as modifier )

      the cost price

4. plural law the expenses of judicial proceedings
5. at any cost or at all costs
   regardless of cost or sacrifice involved
6. at the cost of
   at the expense of losing

verb

1. tr to be obtained or obtainable in exchange for (money or something equivalent); be priced at

   the ride cost one pound

2. to cause or require the expenditure, loss, or sacrifice (of)

   the accident cost him dearly

3. to estimate the cost of (a product, process, etc) for the purposes of pricing, budgeting, control, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈcostless, adjective

Other Words From

• costless adjective
• costless·ness noun
• re·cost verb (used with object) recost recosting

Word History and Origins

Origin of cost¹

First recorded in 1200–50; (verb) Middle English costen, from Anglo-French, Old French co(u)ster, from Latin constāre “to stand together, be settled, cost”; constant; (noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cost¹

C13: from Old French (n), from coster to cost, from Latin constāre to stand at, cost, from stāre to stand

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at all costs, regardless of the effort involved; by any means necessary: Also at any cost.

   The stolen painting must be recovered at all costs.

More idioms and phrases containing cost

see arm and a leg, cost an ; at all costs ; pretty penny, cost a .

Synonym Study

See price.

Example Sentences

They help arrange travel, which can cost thousands of dollars, and provide funding for people who need to access care in states where abortion care is no longer accessible.

From Salon

The way Musk and Ramaswamy have been talking, they clearly have the idea that they’ll be cleaning house from Day 1 onward—just like Musk did when he bought Twitter in late 2022, brought his friends and cronies on as consultants for cost cuts, ousted the company’s executives, and went on to lay off thousands more staffers.

From Slate

The high cost of baby formula is forcing many parents to "resort to extreme and unsafe measures to feed their babies", an MP has told the Commons.

From BBC

It said the total cost of the incident to passengers and air operators was between £75m and £100m.

From BBC

He said that they travelled with him but at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

From BBC

Related Words

• bring in
• come to
• require
• sell for
• take
• yield