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
It’s been used to import cheap foreign labor at the expense of Americans.
—
Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Guided by science and upheld by law, South Africa supports conservation models that are based on evidence and that benefit communities, but never those that turn wildlife into profit at the expense of their survival.
—Dion George, Time, 13 Nov. 2025
These rankings benefit only Leapfrog, at the expense of patients and the broader healthcare system.
—Ken Alltucker, Freep.com, 13 Nov. 2025
According to the complaint filed by Defending Education on Wednesday, Wisconsin's flagship public university, home to 50,000 students, is openly defying discrimination laws in an effort to accommodate transgender students at the expense of biological women.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025
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Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Guided by science and upheld by law, South Africa supports conservation models that are based on evidence and that benefit communities, but never those that turn wildlife into profit at the expense of their survival.
—Dion George, Time, 13 Nov. 2025
These rankings benefit only Leapfrog, at the expense of patients and the broader healthcare system.
—Ken Alltucker, Freep.com, 13 Nov. 2025
According to the complaint filed by Defending Education on Wednesday, Wisconsin's flagship public university, home to 50,000 students, is openly defying discrimination laws in an effort to accommodate transgender students at the expense of biological women.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 12 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 17 Nov. 2025.
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