noun / verb
expense
ik-SPENSS/ɪkˈspens/
A cost incurred to obtain or accomplish something.
The customer pays the expense of repairing the bicycle.
Etymology
The roots evoke weighing money out for payment. A noun formed from this action meant an outlay or disbursement, connecting the act of paying with the money spent or cost incurred.
In context
… the irrecoverable amount must be removed from the receivables account and charge to the income statement as an expense
More examples
- Keep your receipts so we can reimburse your travel expenses.
- Employees can expense meals purchased during business trips.
- She refuses to save money at the expense of safety.
Forms
expense · expenses · expensed · expensing
expensive adjective — Costing a large amount of money.
Similar words
- cost
- Cost is broader and often names the total amount required.
- expenditure
- Expenditure emphasizes money spent rather than an individual charge.
- outlay
- Outlay often refers to an initial payment for something.