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expense definition

ex·pense (ek spens′, ik-)

noun

  1. Obsolete the act of expending; a spending or using up
  2. financial cost; fee; charge
  3. any cost or sacrifice
    1. charges or costs met with in running a business, doing one's work, maintaining property, etc.
    2. money to pay for these charges
  5. a cause of spending; drain on one's finances a car can be a considerable expense

Etymology: ME < Anglo-Fr < LL expensa (pecunia), paid out (money) < L expensum, neut. pp. of expendere: see expend

transitive verb expensed -·pensed′, expensing -·pensing

  1. to charge or record as an expense
  2. to charge to an expense account
expense Idioms

at the expense of

with the payment, onus, loss, etc. borne by

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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