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
The nation’s top basketball programs have already shown a desperate willingness to chase petrodollars in November at the expense of tradition and the tropics.
—
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025
Putin has stuck to his hard-line stance throughout months of stop-start diplomacy with Washington, and the plan released last week was initially viewed across Europe as granting the Kremlin its core demands at the expense of Ukraine and its allies.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 25 Nov. 2025
When asked about it before Sunday’s game, Coach JJ Redick was confident the Lakers’ 3-point volume would improve, but not at the expense of running good offense.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 24 Nov. 2025
But in the current climate of state malfeasance, poverty, and violence, many South Africans fear that precious resources and attention have been diverted to the G-20 at the expense of ordinary South Africans.
—Zanele Mji, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the expense of
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Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025
Putin has stuck to his hard-line stance throughout months of stop-start diplomacy with Washington, and the plan released last week was initially viewed across Europe as granting the Kremlin its core demands at the expense of Ukraine and its allies.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 25 Nov. 2025
When asked about it before Sunday’s game, Coach JJ Redick was confident the Lakers’ 3-point volume would improve, but not at the expense of running good offense.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 24 Nov. 2025
But in the current climate of state malfeasance, poverty, and violence, many South Africans fear that precious resources and attention have been diverted to the G-20 at the expense of ordinary South Africans.
—Zanele Mji, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the expense of
Cite this Entry
“At the expense of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20expense%20of. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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