expense
the use of money, time, or effort
We've just had a new garage built at great expense.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
expense
noun
1 the cost of something:
Having a car is a big expense.
2 expenses (plural) money that you spend on a certain thing:
The company pays our travelling expenses.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
expense
ex‧pense S3 W2 /ɪkˈspens/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: ↑expenditure, ↑expense, expenses; verb: ↑expend; adverb: ↑expensively ≠ ↑inexpensively; adjective: ↑expensive ≠ ↑inexpensive]
1. [uncountable and countable] the amount of money that you spend on something:
He borrowed £150,000 and used the money for legal expenses.
Conference rooms were equipped at great expense.
2. expenses money that you spend on things such as travel and food while you are doing your job, and which your employer then pays to you
on expenses
Can you claim this meal on expenses?
3. at the expense of somebody/something if something is done at the expense of someone or something else, it is only achieved by doing something that could harm the other person or thing:
the growth in short breaks, at the expense of longer package holidays
4. at sb’s expense
a) if you do something at someone’s expense, they pay for you to do it:
Her mansion was refurnished at taxpayers’ expense.
b) if you make jokes at someone’s expense, you laugh about them and make them seem stupid or silly:
Louis kept making jokes at his wife’s expense.
5. all expenses paid having all of your costs for hotels, travel, meals etc paid for by someone else:
The prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to Rio.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + expense
▪ the extra/additional expense Is it worth the extra expense to get a room with a sea view?
▪ an unnecessary expense Paying extra for leather seats seemed like an unnecessary expense.
▪ living expenses (=money that you spend on rent, food, and things such as electricity, gas etc) She receives £80 a week, from which she must pay for all her living expenses.
▪ operating expenses (=money that a company spends on running its business) We must reduce our operating expenses.
▪ legal/medical expenses We had to get a loan to pay for my husband’s medical expenses. | The tenant can incur considerable legal expenses.
▪ household expenses (=money spent looking after a house and the people in it) Unfortunately, household expenses don’t go away just because you’re in hospital or out of work.
▪ funeral expenses (=the cost of arranging a funeral) She had a small insurance policy to cover the funeral expenses.
■ phrases
▪ at great/huge/considerable/vast expense (=used when saying that something costs a lot of money) The tiles were imported at great expense from Italy. | Recently, and at vast expense to the taxpayer, the bridge was rebuilt.
▪ at your own expense (=used when saying that you pay for something yourself) He had copies of the book printed at his own expense.
▪ at (the) public expense (=paid for by the public through taxes) The bridge was built at public expense.
▪ go to the expense of doing something (=do something that costs a lot of money) The council must now decide whether to go to the expense of appealing through the courts.
▪ spare no expense (in doing something) (=spend a lot of money to buy the best things) Her parents spared no expense in arranging the wedding. | Everything has been provided tonight – no expense has been spared!
■ verbs
▪ incur an expense formal (=have to pay for something) Potential buyers incur the expense of a survey and legal fees.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ NOUN + expenses
▪ travel/travelling expenses The company will pay the travelling expenses involved in getting to and from the meeting.
▪ entertainment/business expenses The president receives an unspecified allowance for business and entertainment expenses.
▪ relocation/moving expenses Successful candidates will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes relocation expenses if needed.
■ verbs
▪ pay sb’s expenses They agreed to pay my travel expenses and initial accommodation costs.
▪ claim expenses (=officially ask your employer to pay you back money that you have spent while doing your job) If you have to stay overnight, you will be able to claim any expenses back.
▪ reimburse sb’s expenses (=pay the money someone has spent for business purposes back to them) Your expenses will usually be reimbursed within one month of receiving the claim.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
expense
ex·pense [expense expenses] [ɪkˈspens] [ɪkˈspens] noun
1. uncountable the money that you spend on sth
• The garden was transformed at great expense.
• No expense was spared (= they spent as much money as was needed) to make the party a success.
• He's arranged everything, no expense spared.
• She always travels first-class regardless of expense.
• The results are well worth the expense.
2. countable, usually singular something that makes you spend money
• Running a car is a big expense.
3. expenses plural money spent in doing a particular job, or for a particular purpose
• living/household/medical/legal, etc. expenses
• Can I give you something towards expenses?
• financial help to meet the expenses of an emergency
• The payments he gets barely cover his expenses.
4. expenses plural money that you spend while you are working and which your employer will pay back to you later
• You can claim back your travelling/travel expenses.
• (BrE) to take a client out for a meal on expenses
• an all-expenses-paid trip
more at expense, money, etc. is no object at object n.
Idioms: at somebody's expense ▪ at the expense of somebody ▪ go to a lot of expense ▪ go to the expense of of doing something ▪ put somebody to a lot of expense ▪ put somebody to the expense of of doing something
Word Origin:
late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, alteration of Old French espense, from late Latin expensa (pecunia) ‘(money) spent’, from Latin expendere ‘pay out’, from ex- ‘out’ + pendere ‘weigh, pay’.
Thesaurus:
expense noun
1. U, C, usually sing.
• They had the house redecorated at great expense.
price • • cost •
the considerable/enormous expense/cost
increase/reduce the expense/price/cost
2. pl.
• You can claim back your travel expenses.
costs • • spending • • expenditure • • outlay • |especially BrE overheads • |especially AmE overhead •
increase/reduce expenses/costs/spending/expenditure/the outlay/overheads
control/cover/cut expenses/costs/spending/expenditure/overheads
meet expenses/costs/expenditure/overheads
incur expenses/costs/expenditure
Synonyms:
costs
spending • expenditure • expenses • overheads • outlay
These are all words for money spent by a government, an organization or a person.
costs • the total amount of money that needs to be spent by a business: ▪ labour/production costs ◊ ▪ rising costs
spending • the amount of money that is spent, especially by a government or an organization: ▪ public spending ◊ ▪ More spending on health was promised.
expenditure • (rather formal) an amount of money spent by a government, an organization or a person: ▪ expenditure on education
expenses • money that has to be spent by a person or an organization; money that you spend while you are working which your employer will pay back to you later: ▪ legal expenses ◊ ▪ travel expenses
overhead(s) • the regular costs of running a business or organization, such as rent, electricity and wages: ▪ High overheads mean small profit margins.
outlay • the money that you have to spend in order to start a new business or project, or in order to save yourself money or time later: ▪ The best equipment is costly but is well worth the outlay.
spending/expenditure/outlay on sth
high/low costs/spending/expenditure/expenses/overheads
total costs/spending/expenditure/expenses/overheads/outlay
capital costs/spending/expenditure/expenses/outlay
household costs/spending/expenditure/expenses
government/public/education/health costs/spending/expenditure
to increase/reduce costs/spending/expenditure/expenses/overheads/the outlay
Synonyms:
price
cost • value • expense • worth
These words all refer to the amount of money that you have to pay for sth.
price • the amount of money that you have to pay for an item or service: ▪ house prices ◊ ▪ How much are these? They don't have a price on them. ◊ ▪ I can't afford it ▪ at that price ▪.
cost • the amount of money that you need in order to buy, make or do sth: ▪ A new computer system has been installed at a cost of £80 000.
value • how much sth is worth in money or other goods for which it can be exchanged: ▪ The winner will receive a prize ▪ to the value of ▪ £1 000.
Especially in British English, value can also mean how much sth is worth compared with its price: ▪ This restaurant is excellent value ▪ (= is worth the money it costs) ▪.
price, cost or value?
The price is what sb asks you to pay for an item or service: ▪ to ask/charge a high price ◊ to ask/charge a high cost/value. Obtaining or achieving sth may have a cost; the value of sth is how much other people would be willing to pay for it: ▪ house prices ◊ ▪ the cost of moving house ◊ ▪ The house now has a market value of one million pounds.
expense • the money that you spend on sth; sth that makes you spend money: ▪ The garden was transformed ▪ at great expense ▪. ◊ ▪ Running a car is a big expense.
worth • the financial value of sb/sth: ▪ He has a personal net worth of $10 million.
Worth is more often used to mean the practical or moral value of sth.
the high price/cost/value
the real/true price/cost/value/worth
to put/set a price/value on sth
to increase/reduce the price/cost/value/expense
to raise/double/lower the price/cost/value
to cut the price/cost
Example Bank:
• He was given a sum of money to cover his travel expenses.
• I think we deserve a night out on expenses.
• Insurance is an ongoing expense.
• It emerged that they had received free first-class travel at the taxpayer's expense.
• Look for a fund with low expenses.
• Medical expenses can be quite high if you are not insured.
• Meetings, and the time for them, are a considerable management expense.
• My expenses are constantly rising and my income stays the same.
• Net interest expense increased to $5.9 million from $4.1 million.
• No expense was spared to make the party a success.
• No expense was spared= they spent as much money as was needed to make the party a success.
• Operating expenses rose by more than 23% last year.
• Put the cost of the meal on your expense account.
• Relocated employees received grants towards incidental expenses like buying carpets.
• Save the expense of calling out a plumber by learning some of the basics yourself.
• She had to meet the expense herself.
• Start keeping track of deductible expenses such as charitable contributions.
• The accommodation package includes admission to the golf course at no extra expense.
• The bridge was built at public expense.
• The garden was transformed at great expense.
• The guides are unpaid except for basic expenses.
• The process turned out to be a significant capital expense.
• They are claiming expenses for travel and meals.
• They had to repair the damage at their own expense.
• Total employee expenses were up about 6%.
• We will recoup our expenses within 24 months.
• When it came to the wedding, no expense was spared.
• You can claim back the tax on legitimate business expenses.
• You can expect to receive compensation for all expenses arising out of the accident.
• You can reduce your expenses by selling your old car at a good price.
• You will have to pay income tax on the rent you receive, although you can deduct expenses such as insurance.
• You will receive expense reimbursement for up to $5 000 for legal representation.
• Your monthly housing expense should not be greater than 28% of your income.
• a claim large enough to justify the expense of insurance policy premiums
• a commercial traveller staying at the hotel on expenses
• a two-day, all expenses paid trip to London
• in an effort to reduce expenses and boost profits
• your ongoing expenses such as your employees' salaries
• He's arranged everything: no expense spared.
• The real expense of the trip was the flights.
• We were taken out for a meal at the company's expense.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
expense / ɪkˈspens / noun
B2 [ U ] the use of money, time, or effort:
Buying a bigger car has proved to be well worth the expense.
We've just had a new garage built at great expense.
We went on holiday at my father's expense (= he paid for it) .
It's silly to go to the expense of (= spend money on) buying new clothes when you don't really need them.
[ C ] something that makes you spend money:
Our biggest expense this year was our summer holiday.
We need to cut down on our expenses.
expenses C1 [ plural ] money that you spend when you are doing your job, that your employer will pay back to you:
I need to get my expenses approved.
UK Don't worry about the cost of lunch - it's on expenses.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
expense
/ɪkspens/
(expenses)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Expense is the money that something costs you or that you need to spend in order to do something.
He’s bought a specially big TV at vast expense so that everyone can see properly...
It was not a fortune but would help to cover household expenses.
N-VAR
2.
Expenses are amounts of money that you spend while doing something in the course of your work, which will be paid back to you afterwards. (BUSINESS)
As a member of the International Olympic Committee her fares and hotel expenses were paid by the IOC...
Can you claim this back on expenses?
N-PLURAL: oft poss N
3.
If you do something at someone’s expense, they provide the money for it.
Should architects continue to be trained for five years at public expense?...
PHRASE: PHR after v
4.
If someone laughs or makes a joke at your expense, they do it to make you seem foolish.
I think he’s having fun at our expense.
PHRASE: PHR after v
5.
If you achieve something at the expense of someone, you do it in a way which might cause them some harm or disadvantage.
According to this study, women have made notable gains at the expense of men.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n
6.
If you say that someone does something at the expense of another thing, you are expressing concern at the fact that they are not doing the second thing, because the first thing uses all their resources.
The orchestra has more discipline now, but at the expense of spirit.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n [disapproval]
7.
If you go to the expense of doing something, you do something which costs a lot of money. If you go to great expense to do something, you spend a lot of money in order to achieve it.
Why go to the expense of buying an electric saw when you can hire one?...
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of -ing, PHR to-inf
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
expense
ex·pense /ɪkˈspɛns/ noun, pl -pens·es
1 [noncount] : the amount of money that is needed to pay for or buy something
• 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.
- often used after at
• 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]
- see also at someone's expense (below)
✦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.
• They spared no expense in building the house.
2 [count] : an amount of money that must be spent especially regularly to pay for something
• The annual fee is simply an expense of doing business.
- usually plural
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• She acquired power at the expense of friendships.
• 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.
