budget

UK: /ˈbʌdʒɪt/ US: /ˈbʌdʒɪt/ ,(buj′it)

Inflections of 'budget' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

budgets

v 3rd person singular

budgeting

v pres p

budgeted

v past

budgeted

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

budg•et /ˈbʌdʒɪt/   n. 

[countable]
1. Business an estimate of expected income and expenses:
   drew up a budget and asked everyone to stick to it.
2. Business a list showing item by item how funds will be or have been used, etc., for a given period:
   showed him our budget of expenses.
3. Business a sum of money set aside for a particular purpose:
   The school construction budget won't be enough.

adj. [before a noun]

4. reasonably or cheaply priced:
   budget seats.

v. 

5. Business to plan or deal with an amount of (funds, time, etc.): [~ + object]
   We budgeted our time carefully.
   [~ + for + object]
   We couldn't budget for every emergency.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

budg•et  (buj′it), n., adj., v., -et•ed, -et•ing. 
n. 

1. Business an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expense for a given period in the future.
2. Business a plan of operations based on such an estimate.
3. Business an itemized allotment of funds, time, etc., for a given period.
4. Business the total sum of money set aside or needed for a purpose:
   the construction budget.
5. a limited stock or supply of something:
   his budget of goodwill.
6. [Obs.] a small bag; pouch.

adj. 

7. reasonably or cheaply priced:
   budget dresses.

v.t. 

8. Business to plan allotment of (funds, time, etc.).
9. Business to deal with (specific funds) in a budget.

v.i. 

10. to subsist on or live within a budget.

• Latin bulga; see bulge) + -ette -ette)
• Middle French bougette (bouge bag (
• late Middle English bowgett 1400–50

budg•et•ar•y  (buj′i ter′ē), adj.  budg′et•er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

budget / ˈbʌdʒɪt/ noun

1. an itemized summary of expected income and expenditure of a country, company, etc, over a specified period, usually a financial year
2. (modifier) economical; inexpensive: budget meals for a family
3. the total amount of money allocated for a specific purpose during a specified period

verb ( -gets, -geting, -geted)

1. (transitive) to enter or provide for in a budget
2. to plan the expenditure of (money, time, etc)
3. (intransitive) to make a budget

Etymology: 15th Century (meaning: leather pouch, wallet): from Old French bougette, diminutive of bouge, from Latin bulga, of Gaulish origin; compare Old English bælg bag

ˈbudgetary adjective

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Budget / ˈbʌdʒɪt/ noun

1. the Budget ⇒ an estimate of British government expenditures and revenues and the financial plans for the ensuing fiscal year presented annually to the House of Commons by the Chancellor of the Exchequer