go to (the) expense
idiom
: to spend money on something
Why go to the expense of installing something you'll never use?
She went to great expense to have this party.
Examples of go to (the) expense in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sometimes when new oil wells get drilled, the owners opt to burn off relatively small amounts of natural gas rather than go to the expense of hooking up a pipeline.
—
Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The Garrigans were forced to go to the expense of serving the complaint to Hästens’ office in Sweden.
—Dallas News, 27 Feb. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The Garrigans were forced to go to the expense of serving the complaint to Hästens’ office in Sweden.
—Dallas News, 27 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Go to (the) expense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20to%20%28the%29%20expense. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share