1
a
: 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
adverb
cost; costing
1
: to require expenditure or payment
The best goods cost more.
2
: to require effort, suffering, or loss
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
: to estimate or set the cost of
—often used with outThe project has yet to be costed out.
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
Daniel Leussink, USA Today, 16 May 2025
By lowering costs and increasing access to AI, the DeepSeek advance could increase demand for the technology, propelling the industry and markets to greater heights.
—Chris Perry, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Some avoidable, simple mistakes cost them — early foul trouble has a unique way of interrupting rhythm and flow, boxing out and not being overpowered by a team that is neck and neck in the rebounding department for the postseason — those are good places to start.
—Kelly Iko, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cost
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Nissan unveiled sweeping new cost cuts on Tuesday, saying the measure would reduce global workforce by 15% and lead to the closure of seven vehicle plants.
—Daniel Leussink, USA Today, 16 May 2025
By lowering costs and increasing access to AI, the DeepSeek advance could increase demand for the technology, propelling the industry and markets to greater heights.
—Chris Perry, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Verb
The company, which is slated to join the S&P 500 next week, said the incident will cost between $180 million and $400 million to remedy.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Some avoidable, simple mistakes cost them — early foul trouble has a unique way of interrupting rhythm and flow, boxing out and not being overpowered by a team that is neck and neck in the rebounding department for the postseason — those are good places to start.
—Kelly Iko, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cost
Cite this Entry
“Cost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cost. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cost
2 of 2 verb
cost; costing
1
: to have a price of : require payment of
each ticket costs one dollar
2
: to cause one to pay, spend, or lose
mistakes cost him his job
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