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

The chipmaker had earlier announced plans to raise its capital expenditure budget to $52 billion-$56 billion for this year from about $40 billion in 2025. —ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026

Pritzker’s $10 million in contributions to Illinois Future accounted for a substantial portion of the roughly $24 million in outside expenditures reported in the race. —Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026

As a result of the layoffs, Snap expects to incur pre-tax charges of $95 million to $130 million, primarily consisting of severance and related costs, contract termination costs, and other impairment charges, of which $75 million to $100 million are expected to be future cash expenditures. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026

That remained the case even after his longtime political consultants signed on to run an independent expenditure group that had been airing ads supporting Swalwell before immediately shutting down last Friday. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026

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