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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 -·pensed′, -·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

expense Synonyms

expense

n.

  1. Whatever is paid out

    expenditure, cost, price, outlay, charge, fee, payment, outgo, disbursement, alimony, child support, value, worth, sum, amount, risk, capital, rate, custom, excise, tax, carrying charge, budgeted item, cost of materials, overhead, time, payroll, investment, interest, interest charge, operating expense, surcharge, deductible expense, nondeductible expense, duty, assessment, nut*.

    Antonyms profit*, income, receipts.

  2. Whatever causes money to be paid out

    responsibility, obligation, loan, mortgage, lien, debt, liability, investment, insurance, upkeep, alimony, loss, enterprise, debit, account.

    Antonyms credit*, asset, accounts receivable.

at the expense of

at the cost of, at the sacrifice of, to the loss of, to the detriment of, paid by, charged to.

expense Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • taxpayer: It's hoped the exercise will help the council recoup money that's been fraudulently obtained at the expense of the taxpayer.

Converse of object

  • incur: Any expense incurred in such move of the Equipment within the Premises shall be incurred by the Customer.
  • defray: However, an offering taken in the service can be used to defray expenses.
  • reimburse: The mantra for this factsheet is only reimburse actual expenses.
  • deduct: You can deduct maintenance expenses from your Spanish income tax.
  • travel: What traveling expenses are allowed in calculating the deemed payment?
  • justify: I can't really justify that expense for a handful of comments from a handful of readers.

Adjective modifier

  • out-of-pocket: Covered by a the output of out-of-pocket expenses for an extra in.
  • allowable: Allowable expenses include interest on borrowings to buy or improve the foreign property.
  • incidental: Newton Community Hospital Association granted funding for incidental expenses, incurred during the study.
  • funeral: For example, you may want to cover your funeral expenses or repay an open-ended loan.
  • administrative: Administrative expenses were £ 1.3 million compared to £ 1.2 million in 1998.
  • unnecessary: This limit might be missing in a credit card and prevent borrower from making unnecessary expenses.

Modifies a noun

  • claim: Other Travel Expenses or Other Expenses Claims may be made for the cheapest practical method of transport.

Noun used with modifier

  • subsistence: Note that the PHF grant covers the course fee, not travel or subsistence expenses.
  • relocation: We may also consider relocation expenses, depending on the role.
  • travel: You may also be able to claim travel expenses.
  • pocket: Pocket expenses time period this children with health be short term.
  • operating: In this period £ 1.2 million has been included in net operating expenses resulting from fees incurred on the Crosby transaction.
  • removal: The University has a scheme whereby it is prepared to assist with removal expenses.
expense Quotes

We can applaud the state lottery as a public subsidy of intelligence, for it yields public income that is calculated to lighten the tax burden of us prudent abstainers at the expense of the benighted masses of wishful thinkers.

—Quine,Willard Van Orman

Glorious deeds are not embraced by democracies, least of all by merchants, who, being by their nature intent on profit, loathe those splendid things that cannot be achieved without expense.

—Pius II real name Enea Silvio de Piccolomini

The pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous, and the expense damnable.

—Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of

Thou shalt have one God only: who Would be at the expense of two?

—Clough, Arthur Hugh

Mothers of large families (who claim to common sense) Will find aTiger will repay the trouble and expense.

—Belloc, (Joseph) Hilaire Pierre

'Tis use alone that sanctifies expense, And splendour borrows all her rays from sense.

—Pope, Alexander

There needs no small degree of address to gain the reputation of benevolence without incurring the expense.

—Sheridan, Richard Brinsley