cost

noun

\ ˈkȯst

Definition of cost

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the amount or equivalent paid or charged for something : price The average cost of a college education has gone up dramatically.

b : the outlay or expenditure (as of effort or sacrifice) made to achieve an object He achieved fame, but at the cost of losing several friends.

2 : loss or penalty incurred especially in gaining something the cost of lives during war

3 costs plural : expenses incurred in a judicial process especially : those given by the law or the court to the prevailing party against the losing party

at all costs

: regardless of the cost or consequences was determined to win at all costs

at cost

: for the price of production buys clothes at cost directly from the manufacturer

cost

verb

cost; costing

Definition of cost (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to require expenditure or payment The best goods cost more.

2 : to require effort, suffering, or loss

transitive verb

1 : to have a price of Each ticket costs 25 dollars.

2 : to cause to pay, suffer, or lose something Frequent absences cost him his job.

3 past costed\ ˈkä-stəd

\ : to estimate or set the cost of —often used with out The project has yet to be costed out.

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Examples of cost in a Sentence

Noun

She attends college at a cost of $15,000 a year. The average cost of raising a family has increased dramatically. We offer services at a fraction of the cost of other companies. What's the difference in cost? They believe that everyone should have access to adequate medical care, regardless of cost. The cost of doing business in this area is high. We need better cost control. Winning the war, he believes, was worth the cost in lives. What are the costs and benefits of the new law?

Verb

The trip will cost you about $100 each way. The project will end up costing the government an estimated 3.5 billion dollars. It will cost you a lot of money, but it'll be worth it. His frequent absences ended up costing him his job. The error cost me a reprimand, but nothing more serious than that. a blunder that has cost her considerable embarrassment

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

No one could argue that consumers have been harmed by Google’s free apps or Amazon’s aggressive cost-cutting. — Bloomberg View, Twin Cities, "Other voices: Don’t declare war on big tech," 7 June 2019 Bankruptcy, downsizing or cost cutting has played out in Anchorage’s retail scene, as evidenced by several large, hallmark businesses pulling out of the market (Sam’s Club) or closing up shop (Sears and Sports Authority). — Brandon Spoerhase, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage malls are going through an identity crisis. Here’s why that might be good thing.," 7 June 2019 Oxy pledged substantial cost savings and a healthy dividend payout to investors. — Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle, "Oxy's pursuit of Anadarko - two years in the making," 7 June 2019 Additionally, the company recently implemented the Carespring Hero Scholarship Fund to help employees offset tuition costs for nursing school. — Jessica Levy, Cincinnati.com, "Carespring communities shatter nursing care and assisted living stereotypes," 7 June 2019 The cost savings of €5bn ($6bn) that FCA claimed for the deal were partly predicated on the continuation of Renault’s alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi. — The Economist, "A merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Renault is no more," 6 June 2019 Construction cost overruns and a damaging flood 1996 put the museum on its heels, struggling to make payments on its debt until a donor and the state each paid $4.6 million to pay down debt. — oregonlive.com, "OMSI proposes up to 2 million square feet of development in Portland’s Central Eastside," 6 June 2019 At the same time, rising costs for the projects have some politicians seeking to ditch that model in favor of less expensive options to shelter people. — Dakota Smith, latimes.com, "Garcetti faces heat over L.A.’s homeless crisis but remains optimistic. Is he being realistic?," 6 June 2019 But the Budget and Research Department found an additional $465,000 in cost savings that can be used for other programs. — Jessica Boehm, azcentral, "Phoenix City Council to cut property tax rate, but most residents will pay more," 5 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The first, 186-mile phase, costing $1.9bn (about 4% of GDP) is due to be completed in December. — The Economist, "Tanzania’s president loves mega-projects. Careful planning, less so," 8 June 2019 The Waltz Road Bridge cost the county $2.5 million to replace. — Kristi Tanner, Freep.com, "FREE PRESS INVESTIGATION Thank heavens: They finally got their bridge fixed; many communities still suffer," 7 June 2019 The study will cost $35,000 plus travel expenses not to exceed $2,500 and will be shared between the village and its private partners. — Michelle Mullins, Daily Southtown, "Homer Glen hires consultant to study if large sports complex would be a good fit in the village," 6 June 2019 That would cost the federal government about $315 billion over 10 years. — USA Today, "'Can't pay their bills with love': For many teaching jobs, teachers' pay can't cover rent," 5 June 2019 The injury also cost him a summer playing in the vaunted Cape Cod League. — Alex Schiffer, kansascity, "Mizzou baseball makes history in MLB Draft with two players selected before Round 2," 3 June 2019 The special is available from May 24 through May 27 and costs $34.99. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "These Are the Restaurants Open on Memorial Day in 2019," 16 May 2019 Starting all the platforms would cost Nornickel and Potanin $5 million to $6 million. — Yuliya Fedorinova, Bloomberg.com, "Russia's Richest Man Plans Crypto Tokens Backed by Palladium," 27 Mar. 2019 This includes the Elements and Co-Pilot360 Plus packages, which cost the same as on the Standard trim. — Daniel Golson, Car and Driver, "The 2020 Lincoln Corsair Can Cost More Than $60,000 Fully Loaded," 16 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cost.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.