expenditure

noun

ex·​pen·​di·​ture ik-ˈspen-di-chər 

-də-ˌchu̇r, 

-də-ˌt(y)u̇r

1

: the act or process of expending

an expenditure of energy

2

: something expended : disbursement, expense

Your income should exceed your expenditures.

Synonyms of expenditure

• expense
• cost

Examples of expenditure in a Sentence

an increase in military expenditures

an increase in military expenditure

vast expenditures of time and effort

The energy expenditure was significant.

the expenditure of funds for the new school

The project will require an expenditure of effort on everyone's part.

Recent Examples on the Web

Medi-Cal also accounts for roughly 15% of general fund expenditures in a typical year, second only to K-12 education. —Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025

The company said in its earnings report in October that capital expenditures for the full year would reach between $91 billion and $93 billion, up from a prior forecast of $85 billion. —Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2025

There are more than 53 dairy processing plants either being built or adding capacity in the United States, representing some $10 billion of capital expenditure, Boyd said. —Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025

Scale of the market Youth sports is now a $40+ billion economic engine, including registration fees, equipment and uniforms, travel and lodging, and lessons and instruction, among other expenditures charted by the Aspen Institute. —Chris Russo, Sportico.com, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from Medieval Latin expenditus, variant past participle of Latin expendere "to weigh, pay out, expend" + -ure

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

expenditure

noun

ex·​pen·​di·​ture ik-ˈspen-di-chər 

-də-ˌchu̇(ə)r

1

: the act of spending (as money, time, or energy)

2

: something that is spent

Legal Definition

expenditure

noun

ex·​pen·​di·​ture ik-ˈspen-di-chər, -ˌchu̇r 

1

: the act or process of paying out

2

: something paid out see also capital expenditure