at the expense of
idiom
: in a way that harms (something or someone)
Malls flourished at the expense of small stores downtown.
He argues that the tax cut will benefit the rich at the expense of the poor.
Examples of at the expense of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the final days of the campaign, Citizen’s Movement (MC), a minor party with a progressive platform, has seen steady growth in the polls at the expense of Sheinbaum’s considerable lead.
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Alex González Ormerod, TIME, 30 May 2024
Within the ranks, the departure of right-leaning officers and servicemen put off by vaccine mandates and left-wing political trainings has shifted the military’s composition left at the expense of service quality.
—Jacob Hornstein, National Review, 26 May 2024
Other than the techs only concerned with a quick buck (often at the expense of quality service), the generational shift from a traditional 9-5 to entrepreneurship is not cheap.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 23 May 2024
Conservative opponents have threatened to challenge that plan too, calling it an unfair bonus for wealthy college graduates at the expense of taxpayers who didn’t attend college or already repaid their loans.
—Collin Binkley, Fortune, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for at the expense of 
Alex González Ormerod, TIME, 30 May 2024
Within the ranks, the departure of right-leaning officers and servicemen put off by vaccine mandates and left-wing political trainings has shifted the military’s composition left at the expense of service quality.
—Jacob Hornstein, National Review, 26 May 2024
Other than the techs only concerned with a quick buck (often at the expense of quality service), the generational shift from a traditional 9-5 to entrepreneurship is not cheap.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 23 May 2024
Conservative opponents have threatened to challenge that plan too, calling it an unfair bonus for wealthy college graduates at the expense of taxpayers who didn’t attend college or already repaid their loans.
—Collin Binkley, Fortune, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for at the expense of
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at the expense of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near at the expense of
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“At the expense of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20expense%20of. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
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