at the cost of
idiom
: by giving up or hurting (something else)
She completed the project on time but at the cost of her health.
Examples of at the cost of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Without guardrails, there’s a risk of propagating bias, misinterpreting intent or over-optimizing for short-term efficiency at the cost of long-term fit.
—
Gangesh Pathak, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Instead of merely making a tent that's as light as possible at the cost of comfort, Durston understands that backpackers and mountaineers will be living in their tent night after night and might very well be holed up for days on end, waiting out dangerous weather and conditions.
—New Atlas, 6 May 2025
So, O’Brien wasn’t bothered that Cohen made his money from the kind of Wall Street speculation that has benefitted a few New Yorkers at the cost of so many others?
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Spurs got their act together too, albeit at the cost of more injuries.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the cost of
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Gangesh Pathak, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Instead of merely making a tent that's as light as possible at the cost of comfort, Durston understands that backpackers and mountaineers will be living in their tent night after night and might very well be holed up for days on end, waiting out dangerous weather and conditions.
—New Atlas, 6 May 2025
So, O’Brien wasn’t bothered that Cohen made his money from the kind of Wall Street speculation that has benefitted a few New Yorkers at the cost of so many others?
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Spurs got their act together too, albeit at the cost of more injuries.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the cost of
Cite this Entry
“At the cost of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20cost%20of. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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