expense

UK: /ɪkˈspɛns/ US: /ɪkˈspɛns/ ,(ik spens′)

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

expenses

v 3rd person singular

expensing

v pres p

expensed

v past

expensed

v past p

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

ex•pense /ɪkˈspɛns/  n. 

1. [uncountable] cost;
   charge:
   Nine dollars for a complete dinner is a small expense.
2. [countable] a cause or occasion of spending:
   A car is a necessary expense.
3. Business expenses, [plural]
   • charges incurred esp. during a business assignment:
     used a credit card to pay his expenses.
   • money paid as reimbursement for charges:
     salary and expenses.

Idioms

4. Idioms at the expense of, at the sacrifice of;
   to the harm or detriment of:
   The landlord was interested in saving money at the expense of providing adequate heat.
5. at (someone's) expense:
   • with someone paying:
     I flew to San Diego at the company's expense.
   • causing someone to look or feel foolish:
     He felt confident enough to tell a joke at his own expense.

See -pend-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ex•pense  (ik spens′), n., v., -pensed, -pens•ing. 
n. 

1. cost or charge:
   the expense of a good meal.
2. a cause or occasion of spending:
   A car can be a great expense.
3. the act of expending;
   expenditure.
4. Business expenses:
   • charges incurred during a business assignment or trip.
   • money paid as reimbursement for such charges:
     to receive a salary and expenses.
5. Idioms at the expense of, at the sacrifice of;
   to the detriment of:
   quantity at the expense of quality.

v.t. 

6. to charge or write off as an expense.

v.i. 

7. Banking to be expensed.

• Late Latin expēnsa, noun, nominal use of feminine of expēnsus, past participle of expendere to expend
• Middle English 1350–1400

ex•pense′less, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. outlay, expenditure. See price. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

expense / ɪkˈspɛns/ noun

1. a particular payment of money; expenditure
2. money needed for individual purchases; cost; charge
3. (plural) incidental money spent in the performance of a job, commission, etc, usually reimbursed by an employer or allowable against tax
4. something requiring money for its purchase or upkeep
5. at the expense of ⇒ to the detriment of

Etymology: 14th Century: from Late Latin expēnsa, from Latin expēnsus weighed out; see expend