Pronunciation

/ɪkˈspens/

Definitions

• Noun: The cost incurred in buying or producing something; money spent. For example: “The company’s expenses increased due to higher raw material costs.”

  • Financial burden or loss: “The trip abroad proved to be quite an expense.”
  • Something bought or done at great cost: “His good health is not an expense he can afford to ignore.”

• Verb (rarely used): To spend or pay out (money); incur an expense. For example: “They decided to expense their travel costs.”

Phrases

• “At the expense of”: Meaning causing harm or loss to something else, often implying that one thing benefits while another suffers. Example: “Improving efficiency was achieved at the expense of worker satisfaction.”
• “Expense account”: A fund provided by an employer for reimbursing employees’ work-related expenditures.
• “Under one’s own expense”: To pay for something oneself without reimbursement.

Example Sentences

• Noun: “The renovation project will involve considerable expenses.”
• “Her monthly living expenses include rent, utilities, and groceries.”
• Verb (rarely used): “The company chose to expense the marketing campaign as part of its annual budget.”

Synonyms

• Cost
• Expenditure
• Outlay
• Charge
• Payment
• Toll
• Investment (in certain contexts)
• Spending
• Budget