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 teenager loves and admires her father, offering to help with his work often at the expense of her own (home)work, and Lee is usually happy to have an encouraging second-in-command.
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Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Too many organizations chase short-term wins driven by AI at the expense of long-term success.
—Jason Walker Psyd, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The technology has also led students to focus on external results at the expense of internal growth.
—Ashanty Rosario, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2025
The organization then uses those precogs — and Luke is one of them — to prevent global catastrophes at the expense of children's lives.
—EW.com, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the expense of
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Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Too many organizations chase short-term wins driven by AI at the expense of long-term success.
—Jason Walker Psyd, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The technology has also led students to focus on external results at the expense of internal growth.
—Ashanty Rosario, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2025
The organization then uses those precogs — and Luke is one of them — to prevent global catastrophes at the expense of children's lives.
—EW.com, 31 Aug. 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 10 Sep. 2025.
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