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
The Rule reads as a tad superfluous in consideration of the happy truth that banks would go to the expense to compile and provide this information either way, but nonetheless.
—
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
The Garrigans were forced to go to the expense of serving the complaint to Hästens’ office in Sweden.
—Dallas News, 27 Feb. 2023
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John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 July 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 31 Oct. 2025.
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