at the expense of

To the detriment or injury of a person or thing, as in We can't speed up production at the expense of quality , or The laughter was all at Tom's expense . [Late 1600s]
Paid for by someone, as in The hotel bill for the sales force is at the expense of the company . [Mid-1600s]

Discover More

Also, at one's expense .

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse