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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Federal Reserve policy will likely determine the trajectory The potential for more Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2026 creates a broadly favorable backdrop for precious metals, as lower rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like silver and gold.
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Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The tragedy here is the opportunity cost.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
Those missed opportunity costs also don’t add up neatly in Excel.
—Steve Booren, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
This sum could be absorbed as an opportunity cost, the CBO added, paid out of existing budgets.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 Jan. 2026
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Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The tragedy here is the opportunity cost.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
Those missed opportunity costs also don’t add up neatly in Excel.
—Steve Booren, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
This sum could be absorbed as an opportunity cost, the CBO added, paid out of existing budgets.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 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 29 Jan. 2026.
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