expense
2 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
expenses
plural
expenses
Britannica Dictionary definition of EXPENSE
1
[noncount]
:
the amount of money that is needed to pay for or buy something
— often used after at
—
see also at someone's expense (below)
-
I'd like to save the time and expense [=cost] of redoing the whole thing.
-
I don't think a first-class ticket is worth the added/extra expense.
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These items were imported at great/considerable/enormous expense. [=it cost a lot to import them]
-
We were able to fix the problem at very little expense. [=for very little money]
-
The repairs were made at no expense to us. [=without costing us anything]
◊ If you spare no expense, you spend as much money as you need to in order to make something as good as possible.
-
When they go on vacation, they spare no expense.
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They spared no expense in building the house.
2
[count]
:
an amount of money that must be spent especially regularly to pay for something
— usually plural
-
The annual fee is simply an expense of doing business.
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Their expenses [=expenditures] were getting far ahead of their income.
-
We need to find a way to control expenses.
-
cutting back on expenses
-
legal/medical/household expenses [=costs]
-
I'm concerned about the project's hidden expenses.
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You'll have to pay your own travel/traveling expenses.
-
an all-expenses paid trip [=a journey for which all costs are already paid]
3
[count]
:
something on which money is spent
-
A new car is a major expense.
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My new computer was a business expense. [=something I had to buy in order to do business]
at someone's expense
1
:
paid for by someone
-
a fancy dinner at my parents' expense
-
a stadium built at the taxpayers' expense = a stadium built at taxpayer expense [=with money from taxes]
-
The tour is free, but all meals are at your own expense. [=you must pay for your meals]
2
◊ If someone makes a joke about you or laughs at you, the joke or laughter is said to be at your expense.
-
Everyone had a good laugh at my expense.
at the expense of
:
in a way that harms (something or someone)
-
Malls flourished at the expense of small stores downtown.
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She acquired power at the expense of friendships.
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He argues that the tax cut will benefit the rich at the expense of the poor.
go to (the) expense
:
to spend money on something
-
Why go to the expense of installing something you'll never use?
-
She went to great expense to have this party.
