expenditure

noun ex·pen·di·ture \ ik-ˈspen-di-chər , -də-ˌchu̇r , -də-ˌt(y)u̇r \

Definition of expenditure

1 :the act or process of expending

an expenditure of energy

2 :something expended :disbursement, expense

income should exceed expenditures

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Examples of expenditure in a Sentence

an increase in military expenditures
an increase in military expenditure
vast expenditures of time and effort
The energy expenditure was significant.
the expenditure of funds for the new school
The project will require an expenditure of effort on everyone's part.

Recent Examples of expenditure from the Web

Prosecutors allege that about $825,000 of financing for his 2015 campaign was hidden and other expenditures had no explainable source of funding.

— sonia perez d., The Seattle Times, "Guatemala court: President can’t expel head of UN commission," 29 Aug. 2017
Total expenditures and transfers out is $236,243,292.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Stimpson offers conservative 2018 budget; council talks start Tuesday," 27 Aug. 2017
Federal and state money paid to the city based on its population could add up to $1.67 million between May 2019 and May 2021, making the estimated $238,000 price tag for the work well worth the expenditure, officials said.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Special census in 2018 could put $1.6M in Naperville coffers," 10 Aug. 2017
The company’s legal department has been examining its relationships with law firms over the past year, said Mr. Howard, who oversees litigation for Microsoft, an area in which expenditures are several hundred million dollars a year.

— elizabeth olson, New York Times, "Microsoft Shifts From Paying Outside Lawyers by the Hour," 3 Aug. 2017
According to the new study, the payoff may have been as high as €4.6 billion for East Germany in 1988, compared with annual spying expenditures of about €6.4 million.

— catherine matacic, Science | AAAS, "Cold War espionage paid off—until it backfired, East German spy records reveal," 31 July 2017
Now let’s compare these numbers to other government expenditures.

— megan friedman, Cosmopolitan, "The Military Spends More on Viagra Than It Would on Medical Care for Trans People," 26 July 2017
Members of the Board of Estimates will also be asked to approve the expenditure of $99,713 to replace the boiler at 220 S. Main St. in Bel Air, home of the county government.

— The Aegis, "Another roundabout in the works for Forest Hill," 10 July 2017
A significant portion of the expenditures listed in the reports is likely related to football, which employs the largest coaching staff and offers the highest number of scholarships for student-athletes each year.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "How much does Louisville spend on recruiting compared to other ACC schools?," 6 July 2017

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