noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ɪkˈspɛns/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛns
CMU ARPABET:IH0 K S P EH1 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of funds.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
She went to great expense to ensure her children would get the best education.
Buying the car was a big expense, but will be worth it in the long run.
We had a training weekend in New York, at the expense of our company.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The elimination or consumption of something, sometimes with the notion of loss or damage to the thing eliminated.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Jones reached the final at the expense of Smith, who couldn't beat him.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Loss.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To charge a cost against an expense account; to bill something to the company for which one works.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
It should be acceptable to expense a business lunch with a client.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a detriment or sacrifice
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
at the expense of
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: detriment, hurt
6
noun
Meaning 6
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: disbursal, disbursement
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cost
Narrower terms: business expense, trade expense, interest expense, lobbying expense, medical expense, non-cash expense, moving expense, operating expense, operating cost, overhead, budget items, personal expense
7
noun
Meaning 7
money spent to perform work and usually reimbursed by an employer
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he kept a careful record of his expenses at the meeting
Narrower terms: incidental expense, incidental, minor expense, travel expense
8
verb
Meaning 8
reduce the estimated value of something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
For tax purposes you can write off the laser printer
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: write off, write down
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: depreciate
History
Etymology
From Middle English expense, from Anglo-Norman expense and Old French espense, from Late Latin expēnsa, from Latin expendō. See expend. Doublet of speso.
Across languages
Translations
93 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
صَرْف
(ṣarf)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Arabic:
مَصْرُوف
(maṣrūf)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Arabic:
مَصَارِيف
(maṣārīf)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Azerbaijani:
xərc
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Belarusian:
расхо́д
(rasxód)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Belarusian:
выда́так
(vydátak)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Bulgarian:
ра́зход
(rázhod)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Bulgarian:
изразхо́дване
(izrazhódvane)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Catalan:
despesa
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Chinese Mandarin:
費用 /费用
(fèiyòng)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Chinese Mandarin:
花费
(huāfèi)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Czech:
výdej
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Czech:
náklad
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Dutch:
uitgave
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Esperanto:
elspezo
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Finnish:
kulu
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
French:
dépense
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Friulian:
spese
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
German:
Ausgabe
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
German:
Aufwand
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Ancient Greek:
δαπάνη
(dapánē)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Hindi:
व्यय
(vyay)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Hindi:
लागत
(lāgat)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Hindi:
ख़र्च
(xarc)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Hungarian:
költség
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Icelandic:
útgjöld
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Italian:
spesa
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Japanese:
支出
(shishutsu)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Japanese:
費用
(hiyō)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Kaitag:
харж
(ꭓarž)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Kazakh:
қаржы
(qarjy)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Korean:
비용
(biyong)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Kyrgyz:
каржы
(karjı)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Ladin:
speisa
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Latin:
sūmptus
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Mauritian Creole:
depans
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Mongolian:
зардал
(zardal)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Oromo:
baasii
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Plautdietsch:
Kost
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Plautdietsch:
Priess
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Polish:
ekspens
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Polish:
nakład
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Polish:
wydatek
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Portuguese:
despesa
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Romanian:
cheltuială
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Russian:
расхо́д
(rasxód)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Sicilian:
spisa
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Slovak:
výdavok
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Slovak:
náklad
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Spanish:
gasto
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Spanish:
dispendio
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Spanish:
expendio
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Spanish:
expensas
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Tagalog:
bayarin
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Tamil:
செலவு
(celavu)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Tocharian B:
wyai
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Turkish:
masraf
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Ottoman Turkish:
اخراج
(ihrâc)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Ukrainian:
розхі́д
(rozxíd)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Ukrainian:
вида́ток
(vydátok)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Urdu:
خرچ
(xarc)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Urdu:
خرچہ
(xarca)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Urdu:
لاگت
(lāgat)
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Venetan:
spexa
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Volapük:
fräd
— a spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure
Bulgarian:
ра́зход
(rázhod)
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Bulgarian:
разно́ски
(raznóski)
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Czech:
útrata
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Czech:
vydání
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Czech:
výdaj
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Finnish:
kustannus
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Finnish:
kulu
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Ancient Greek:
δαπάνη
(dapánē)
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Hindi:
प्रयुक्त
(prayukt)
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Hindi:
उपभुक्त
(upbhukt)
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Ingrian:
mänö
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Ingrian:
kulu
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Irish:
costas
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Latin:
impensa
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Latin:
impendium
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Romanian:
seamă
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Russian:
расхо́д
(rasxód)
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Swedish:
utgift
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Swedish:
bekostnad
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
Ottoman Turkish:
خرج
(harc)
— that which is expended, laid out, or consumed
