Definition of expensenext
as in cost
a payment made in the course of achieving a result they spared no expense in building the house of their dreams

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expense Tookey has raised his prices but not enough to keep up with ballooning expenses. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026 That client's business expense deductions totaled nearly $53,000. — Logan Smith, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026 Annual interest expenses on the debt are already at $1 trillion, while the budget deficit is on pace to reach $2 trillion this year, with no sign of any political willingness to rein them in. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026 Outside estimates put the expense at well over a hundred billion dollars. — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for expense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expense
Noun
  • Rising costs and a housing shortage are pricing many Spaniards out of the housing market, despite strong economic growth in Europe's fourth-largest economy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Minneapolis officials estimated the crackdown’s economic cost at nearly $700 million.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Both campaigns are also getting crucial assists in targeting Latino voters from independent expenditure groups, which aren’t bound by the same contribution limits as campaigns are.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Odds for a hike in October also fell in the middle of this week after the release of the personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, on Wednesday showed cooler-than-expected prices.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Expense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expense. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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