expendable

[ ik-spen-duh-buhl ]
See synonyms for expendable on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. capable of being expended.

  2. (of an item of equipment or supply) consumed in use or not reusable.

  1. considered to be not worth keeping or maintaining.

  2. Military. (of personnel, equipment, or supplies) capable of being sacrificed in order to accomplish a military objective.

noun
  1. Usually expendables. an expendable person or thing.

Origin of expendable

1
First recorded in 1795–1805; expend + -able

Other words from expendable

  • ex·pend·a·bil·i·ty, noun
  • non·ex·pend·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby expendable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use expendable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for expendable

expendable

/ (ɪkˈspɛndəbəl) /


adjective
  1. that may be expended or used up

  2. not essential; not worth preserving

  1. able to be sacrificed to achieve an objective, esp a military one

noun
  1. something that is expendable

Derived forms of expendable

  • expendability, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012