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
From 2014 to 2017, Malaysia, Australia and China searched 120,000 square kilometers of seafloor at a cost of roughly $155 million (more than $200 million today).
—
Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 3 Dec. 2025
Adam found a private nursing home company that would care for Michael in his home, at a cost of $960 a day.
—Jordan Rau, NPR, 29 Nov. 2025
The series, which spans multiple decades, follows the titular Gwendy's encounters with a mysterious stranger and his magical button box, which offers good fortune at a cost.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
Perth Stadium eventually opened at a cost of A$820m in 2018, with the project delayed by a year to give the WACA an unexpected Ashes swansong in 2017.
—Michael Bailey, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
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Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 3 Dec. 2025
Adam found a private nursing home company that would care for Michael in his home, at a cost of $960 a day.
—Jordan Rau, NPR, 29 Nov. 2025
The series, which spans multiple decades, follows the titular Gwendy's encounters with a mysterious stranger and his magical button box, which offers good fortune at a cost.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
Perth Stadium eventually opened at a cost of A$820m in 2018, with the project delayed by a year to give the WACA an unexpected Ashes swansong in 2017.
—Michael Bailey, New York Times, 19 Nov. 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 18 Dec. 2025.
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