expense
Transitive Verb[C/U] Both
pl: expensespast: expensedpp: expenseding: expensing
This word carries a strong association with accounting, budgeting, and financial loss. It describes the outflow of resources, often evoking a sense of necessity or burden. While cost is a neutral measure of value, an expense is an actual expenditure that has occurred or must occur to maintain an operation. In professional settings, it is the standard term for reimbursable costs incurred during work travel. In personal contexts, it often suggests a trade-off, where one thing is sacrificed or spent to achieve a particular result, as seen in the phrase at the expense of.
Countable when referring to a specific item or bill, such as a business expense. Uncountable when referring to the general state of spending money, such as living expense.