expense

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ɪkˈspɛns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ex‧pense

Noun

Singular expense

Plural expenses

1. (countable) An expense is something for which you spend money.
   • Synonyms: cost and charge
   • Antonym: income

   Food is a huge expense for many people around the world.

2. (countable & uncountable) An expense is an amount of money that you spend.
   • Synonyms: cost and charge
   • Antonym: income

   If your income is less than your expenses, you have a serious problem.

   The company paid all of his expenses when he was in Shanghai.

   The building was repaired at great expense.

3. If you do $x$ at the expense of $y$, $x$ hurts $y$ because it makes $y$ have less money, less time, less social status, etc.
   • Synonym: cost

   She often makes jokes at her own expense.

   We have to decide whether safety at the expense of freedom is worth the cost.

Related words

• expensive
• expensively
• expensiveness
• inexpensive
• inexpensiveness
• inexpensively
• expenditure