Expense Definition

ĭk-spĕns
expensed, expenses, expensing
noun
expenses
Something spent to attain a goal or accomplish a purpose.
An expense of time and energy on the project.
American Heritage
A loss for the sake of something gained; a sacrifice.
Achieved speed at the expense of accuracy.
American Heritage
Any cost or sacrifice.
Webster's New World
Financial cost; fee; charge.
Webster's New World
Charges or costs met with in running a business, doing one's work, maintaining property, etc.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
verb
expensed, expenses, expensing
To charge or record as an expense.
Webster's New World
To charge to an expense account.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
idiom
at (one's) expense
  • To one's detriment or chagrin:

    telling jokes at my expense.

American Heritage
at the expense of
  • with the payment, onus, loss, etc. borne by
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Expense

Noun

Singular:
expense
Plural:
expenses

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Expense

Origin of Expense

  • Middle English from Anglo-Norman from Latin (pecūnia) expēnsa (money) paid out feminine past participle of expendere to pay out expend

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Anglo-Norman expense, from Old French espense, from Late Latin expensa, from Latin expendere. See expend.

    From Wiktionary

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to expense using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

expense