# budget

/ˈbədʒɪt/ (US) · /bˈʌdʒɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/budget
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. financial plan

noun · CEFR B1

a plan that shows how much money you have and how you will spend it over a period of time.

For teachers: an itemized summary of estimated or intended expenditures for a given period, often coupled with expected revenue.

- We need to create a strict monthly budget to save for our summer holiday.
- The department head presented a revised budget to the board, highlighting the need for increased investment in research and development.

### 2. available funds

noun · CEFR B1

the total amount of money available for a specific purpose or person.

For teachers: the total sum of money or resources allocated for a particular institution, activity, or timeframe.

- The school has a limited budget for new library books this year.
- Despite the military's massive budget, several key infrastructure projects remained underfunded due to administrative inefficiencies.

### 3. to plan spending

verb · CEFR B2

to plan how you will spend your money or time.

For teachers: to plan the allocation of money or resources; often used with 'for'.

- If you budget carefully, you can afford to eat out once a week.
- The couple had to budget for unexpected repairs after the surveyor found issues with the house's foundation.

Usage: Often used as an intransitive verb or followed by the preposition 'for'.

### 4. low cost

adjective · CEFR B1

cheap or suitable for people who do not have much money to spend.

For teachers: inexpensive; designed or marketed to suit a restricted amount of money.

- We stayed at a budget hotel near the airport to save money.
- The airline dominates the market by offering budget fares to major European cities, though they charge extra for checked luggage.

## Examples

- We need to stick to our monthly budget.
- The marketing department requested an increase in their annual budget to cover the costs of the new digital campaign.
- While the initial proposal seemed feasible, the final budget revealed that the project would require significantly more capital than the investors were willing to provide.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.