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

In terms of cost, this palette won't be breaking the bank. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "This Strawberry Milkshake Eye Shadow Palette Smells Exactly Like the Real Thing," 12 Apr. 2019 And, in fact, Hoffman himself and other ascendant Silicon Valley donors like Chris Sacca have tried to help the Democratic establishment be more tech-friendly and cost-effective. — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "Reid Hoffman is learning an early rule of being a megadonor: It’s hard to keep track of your money," 26 Dec. 2018 Generally, emergency contraception costs anywhere from $25 and $80 (the price includes examination, pregnancy test, and pills). — Seventeen Editors, Seventeen, "How to Deal with a Pregnancy Scare," 28 Nov. 2018 Other countries currently provide good health care to residents at a fraction of the U.S. cost. — Robert Pollin, WSJ, "The Case for Medicare for All," 28 Mar. 2019 Lower mortgage rates at the start of 2019 appear to be boosting buyer demand for housing, but builders are contending with rising costs for labor and land that limit how much new construction can take place. — Josh Boak, The Seattle Times, "US housing starts slumped 8.7 percent in February," 26 Mar. 2019 Please consider donating to her family to help cover some of the funeral costs. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Parkland Shooting Survivor Took Her Own Life After Suffering from PTSD," 22 Mar. 2019 Spirit was recognized for being one of the most cost-effective airlines to fly, but has the stingiest seat pitch (just 28 inches on average). — Maggie Maloney, Town & Country, "These Are the Top 10 Airlines in the World," 20 Mar. 2019 This policy simply means that if something is lost or damaged while being shipped, Instagram will cover the refund cost rather than the merchant. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Instagram Just Added a New In-App Shopping Feature," 19 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

That wasn't the only affordable element about Hadid's Coachella outfit: Her seashell belt was from Mango, and will cost you less than $30. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Gigi Hadid Wore a $50 Summersalt Top and $350 Kim Shui Studio Pants to Coachella 2019," 15 Apr. 2019 All of them, of course, will cost you a monthly fee. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "How Many Subscriptions Can You Handle?," 25 Mar. 2019 These 13 recipes are great examples of inexpensive sheet-pan dinners because none of them cost more than $2 per serving to make. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, "13 Sheet-Pan Dinner Recipes That Cost Less Than $2 Per Serving," 22 Mar. 2019 The team combined all of these ingredients into sheet masks (with very pretty packaging) that get the job done in just five minutes and all cost less than $15 (most are actually in the $5 to $8 range). — Rebecca Dancer, Allure, "Amazon Quietly Launched Fast Beauty Company, a Skin-Care Line — and Everything's Under $15," 12 Mar. 2019 Diehards love their durability and, in some cases, their portability—although moving a shipping container house can cost a lot of time and money. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "The 5 best shipping container houses of 2018," 27 Dec. 2018 Take Bertram’s tented hallway, lined in an Indian fabric from Etsy that cost him $5 a yard. — Kathryn O'shea-evans, House Beautiful, "Every Wall is Handpainted in this Tiny Palm Beach Apartment," 11 Mar. 2019 So give them something to do, this will cost you so little, but will make the largest impact. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Meghan Markle Just Spoke Out on International Women's Day—Here Are Her Best Quotes," 8 Mar. 2019 Each West Elm bundle will count as one item in their subscription package, which costs $159 per month. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "Rent the Runway and West Elm Partner to Create Gorgeous, Rentable Home Essentials," 7 Mar. 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.