opportunity cost
noun
: the added cost of using resources (as for production or speculative investment) that is the difference between the actual value resulting from such use and that of an alternative (such as another use of the same resources or an investment of equal risk but greater return)
Examples of opportunity cost in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is the moment where opportunity costs spike — both in time and in focus.
—
Jessica Billingsley, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
There simply weren’t enough resources to support the business's pricing ambitions, and the opportunity cost was too high.
—Scott Woody, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
If opportunity costs, lost business generations, psychological trauma, and social capital are added, the cumulative figure could easily exceed $3 trillion.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Now that the ability to generate software has become significantly easier, any company in the world that uses technology as a differentiator will be looking at an opportunity cost of not investing more into software that has just gotten higher.
—Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opportunity cost
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Jessica Billingsley, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
There simply weren’t enough resources to support the business's pricing ambitions, and the opportunity cost was too high.
—Scott Woody, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
If opportunity costs, lost business generations, psychological trauma, and social capital are added, the cumulative figure could easily exceed $3 trillion.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Now that the ability to generate software has become significantly easier, any company in the world that uses technology as a differentiator will be looking at an opportunity cost of not investing more into software that has just gotten higher.
—Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opportunity cost
Cite this Entry
“Opportunity cost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunity%20cost. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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