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
Curry is notorious for making jokes, especially at the expense of the NBA television hosts.
—
Savannah Leigh Richardson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Many songwriters are convinced the current system favors the biggest artists at the expense of middle-tier and emerging songwriters.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 July 2025
Otherwise, the film strives to convey the gravity of its material by locking onto a dead-serious vibe, at the expense of character development.
—Chris Deville, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025
What’s surprising is the utter disregard — willfully or naively — for blatant flaws in the communist worldview, where Big Government controls our destiny at the expense of a free market that made New York prosperous and appealing to college graduates in the first place.
—Luka Ladan, New York Daily News, 5 July 2025
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Savannah Leigh Richardson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Many songwriters are convinced the current system favors the biggest artists at the expense of middle-tier and emerging songwriters.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 July 2025
Otherwise, the film strives to convey the gravity of its material by locking onto a dead-serious vibe, at the expense of character development.
—Chris Deville, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025
What’s surprising is the utter disregard — willfully or naively — for blatant flaws in the communist worldview, where Big Government controls our destiny at the expense of a free market that made New York prosperous and appealing to college graduates in the first place.
—Luka Ladan, New York Daily News, 5 July 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 15 Jul. 2025.
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