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Definition of cost
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
costlessly
adverbat 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
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Examples of cost in a Sentence
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?
Recent Examples of cost from the Web
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The Obama administration revised it last year to simplify the claims process and shift more of the cost of discharging loans onto schools.
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Such jurisdictions say detaining immigrants for that purpose may be unconstitutional, and burdens local jails with additional costs.
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Cocaine is a white man’s drug, snorted by partiers oblivious to the human cost of the cartels that supply it.
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Annual dues are $65 plus there is a weekly $18 fee, which helps cover the costs of the breakfast meetings.
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But such a rule would have to be enforced, at extra cost.
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There are too many maybes involved and the cost to taxpayers is too high.
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The Memorial Vehicle was customized by Canby Motors Collision Repair at no cost to the Sheriff's Office as a tribute to the fallen officers.
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Housing authorities across the country set their own payment standards, using their cities' cost of living to decide how much their vouchers are worth.
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.
Origin and Etymology of cost
see 2cost
Other Economics Terms
cost
Definition of cost
cost
;costing
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 costedplay \ˈkä-stəd\ : to estimate or set the cost of —often used with out The project has yet to be costed out.
Examples of cost in a Sentence
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
Origin and Etymology of cost
Middle English, from Anglo-French custer, couster, from Latin constare to stand firm, cost — more at constant
COST Defined for English Language Learners
cost
playDefinition of cost for English Language Learners
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: the price of something : the amount of money that is needed to pay for or buy something
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: an amount of money that must be spent regularly to pay for something (such as running a business or raising a family)
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: something that is lost, damaged, or given up in order to achieve or get something
cost
Definition of cost for English Language Learners
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: to have (an amount of money) as a price
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: to cause (someone) to pay an amount of money
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: to cause (someone) to lose something
COST Defined for Kids
Definition of cost for Students
cost
;costing
1 : to have a price of He bought a ticket costing one dollar.
2 : to cause the payment, spending, or loss of Being lazy cost me my job.
Law Dictionary
cost
Legal Definition of cost
1 : the amount or equivalent paid or charged for something
2 pl : expenses incurred in litigation; especially : those given by the law or the court to the prevailing party against the losing party
Learn More about cost
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cost Spanish Central: Translation of cost Nglish: Translation of cost for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cost for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cost
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