expenditure

noun

ex·​pen·​di·​ture ik-ˈspen-di-chər 

-də-ˌchu̇r, 

-də-ˌt(y)u̇r

1

: the act or process of expending

an expenditure of energy

2

: something expended : disbursement, expense

Your income should exceed your expenditures.

Synonyms of expenditure

• expense
• cost

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 on the Web

Meta Platforms is also forecasting sizable capital expenditures , but the stock was rewarded. —Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026

On the same call, chief financial officer Vaibhav Taneja said capital expenditures are expected to reach about $20 billion, far above many analysts’ predictions. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026

Hood pushed back on the idea that investors should draw a direct correlation between capital expenditures and Azure’s revenue figures. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026

Investors appear to have recognized that Meta is actually monetizing this AI expenditure. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably from Medieval Latin expenditus, variant past participle of Latin expendere "to weigh, pay out, expend" + -ure

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

expenditure

noun

ex·​pen·​di·​ture ik-ˈspen-di-chər 

-də-ˌchu̇(ə)r

1

: the act of spending (as money, time, or energy)

2

: something that is spent

Legal Definition

expenditure

noun

ex·​pen·​di·​ture ik-ˈspen-di-chər, -ˌchu̇r 

1

: the act or process of paying out

2

: something paid out see also capital expenditure