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
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Lower real interest rates historically reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like silver, while also supporting the industrial activity that drives silver demand in electronics, electric vehicles and green technology.
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Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The key question in the Jackson deal is opportunity cost.
—Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Good economists should not flinch from the fact that saving lives does have an opportunity cost in scarce dollars.
—James Broughel, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The tragedy here is the opportunity cost.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for opportunity cost
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Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The key question in the Jackson deal is opportunity cost.
—Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Good economists should not flinch from the fact that saving lives does have an opportunity cost in scarce dollars.
—James Broughel, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The tragedy here is the opportunity cost.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
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 13 Feb. 2026.
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