expense
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.the money that you spend on something or the cost of an activity.
n.the cost required for something; the act of spending or disbursing money.
Simple“The expense of repairing the car was much higher than we expected.”
In context“The total expense of the renovation project exceeded the initial budget by nearly twenty percent due to unforeseen structural issues.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.money you spend while doing your job that your employer pays back to you.
n.costs incurred in the course of performing professional duties, typically reimbursed by an employer.
Simple“You can claim your travel expenses if you keep all your receipts.”
In context“The sales team submitted their monthly expenses for approval, including client dinners and regional train fares.”
UsageOften used in the plural form 'expenses'.
Synonymsbusiness costsreimbursements - 03 C1 Advanced
n.the loss or sacrifice of one thing to achieve another.
n.the sacrifice, loss, or detriment of one thing in order to benefit or achieve another.
Simple“He built a successful company, but it was at the expense of his health.”
In context“The rapid industrial growth was achieved at the expense of the local ecosystem, leading to long-term environmental degradation.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
v.to list a cost as a business spending so you do not have to pay for it yourself.
v.to write off an expenditure as a business expense or to charge a cost against an expense account.
Simple“I will expense this flight to the marketing department.”
In context“The consultant was instructed to expense all local transport costs directly to the client's account rather than paying out of pocket.”
UsageThe verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
Usage additional expense
“They would be unpaid but receive £30 a week expenses.”
“In fact, these jobs are becoming more essential as a primary source of income, even as they fail to cover basic food and medical expenses for gig workers.”
From Middle English expense, from Anglo-Norman expense and Old French espense, from Late Latin expēnsa, from Latin expendō. See expend. Doublet of speso.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.