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

Based on a famous study by Fama and French, higher year-over-year growth in assets, which implies corporate spending or capital expenditures (capex) on assets, implies lower future stock returns. —Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026

Because these specific phases normally represent one-quarter of total cell manufacturing expenditures, their reduction alters the overall processing economics. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026

While proceeds from the public offerings and Berkshire’s placement will directly fund heavy capital expenditures to scale global AI infrastructure, the ATM program is fundamentally administrative. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 June 2026

In late May, when the budget was first presented, Vice Mayor Anna Rohrbough expressed concerns about the zoo’s revenue and expenditure gap. —Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 12 June 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