at a cost
idiom
: by giving up something else
He had achieved fame, but at a cost; he'd lost many friends and no longer talked to anyone in his family.
Examples of at a cost in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 750,000 employees will be furloughed during the shutdown at a cost of $400 million per day in lost compensation.
—
Erik Wasson, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
The Miami Dolphins won their first game of the season - but at a cost.
—Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
The air-conditioning system, exhaust, center seat, wheels, and headlights were all updated then as well, at a cost of over half a million dollars.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2025
Planning is underway for Phase 2 and Phase 3, which eventually will provide similar flood protection north to Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto sometime after 2030, likely at a cost above $1 billion.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at a cost
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Erik Wasson, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
The Miami Dolphins won their first game of the season - but at a cost.
—Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
The air-conditioning system, exhaust, center seat, wheels, and headlights were all updated then as well, at a cost of over half a million dollars.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2025
Planning is underway for Phase 2 and Phase 3, which eventually will provide similar flood protection north to Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto sometime after 2030, likely at a cost above $1 billion.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at a cost
Cite this Entry
“At a cost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20a%20cost. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share