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expense

 - 7 dictionary results

ex⋅pense

[ik-spens] noun, verb, -pensed, -pens⋅ing.
–noun
1. cost or charge: the expense of a good meal.
2. a cause or occasion of spending: A car can be a great expense.
3. the act of expending; expenditure.
4. expenses,
a. charges incurred during a business assignment or trip.
b. money paid as reimbursement for such charges: to receive a salary and expenses.
–verb (used with object)
5. to charge or write off as an expense.
–verb (used without object)
6. to be expensed.
7. at the expense of, at the sacrifice of; to the detriment of: quantity at the expense of quality.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < LL expēnsa, n. use of fem. of expēnsus, ptp. of expendere to expend


ex⋅pense⋅less, adjective


1. outlay, expenditure. See price.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To expense
ex·pense   (ĭk-spěns')   
n.  
    1. Something spent to attain a goal or accomplish a purpose: an expense of time and energy on the project.

    2. A loss for the sake of something gained; a sacrifice: achieved speed at the expense of accuracy.

    3. Charges incurred by an employee in the performance of work: was reimbursed for her travel expenses.

    4. Informal Money allotted for payment of such charges.

  1. An expenditure of money; a cost: an improvement that was well worth the expense; a trip with all expenses paid.

  2. expenses

    1. Charges incurred by an employee in the performance of work: was reimbursed for her travel expenses.

    2. Informal Money allotted for payment of such charges.

  3. Something requiring the expenditure of money: Redecorating the house will be a considerable expense.

  4. Archaic The act of expending.

tr.v.   ex·pensed, ex·pens·ing, ex·pens·es
  1. To charge with expenses.

  2. To write off as an expense.


[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin (pecūnia) expēnsa, (money) paid out, feminine past participle of expendere, to pay out; see expend.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
expense

  1. n.
    a baby; a child. (See also deduction.) : The little expense just cries, craps, and chows.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

expense 
1382, from Anglo-Fr. expense, O.Fr. espense "money provided for expenses," from L.L. expensa "disbursement," prop. neut. pl. pp. of L. expendere "to weigh out money, to pay down" (see expend). Expensive first recorded 1628 with a sense of "given to profuse expenditure," but by 1634 meaning "costly." L. spensa also yielded M.L. spesa, which was borrowed into O.H.G. as spisa and is the root of Ger. Spiese "food."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ex·pense
Function: noun
: financial burden or outlay; specifically : an item of business outlay chargeable against revenue for a specific period
busi·ness expense
: an expense made in furtherance of one's business esp. as part of the cost of operating a business in the taxable year in which the expense is incurred —compare CAPITAL EXPENSE and, PERSONAL EXPENSE in this entry
NOTE: Business expenses are generally tax deductible in the year the expense is incurred.
capital expense
: an expense made in a business that will provide a long-term benefit : CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
NOTE: Capital expenses are not tax deductible as business expenses but may be used for depreciation or amortization.
mov·ing expense
: an expense incurred in changing one's residence that is tax deductible if incurred for business reasons (as when one's job requires relocation)
or·di·nary and nec·es·sary expense
: an expense that is normal or customary and helpful and appropriate for the operation of a particular business or trade and that is made during the taxable year called also ordinary and necessary business expense
NOTE: Ordinary and necessary expenses are tax deductible.
per·son·al expense
: an expense incurred in the course of one's personal affairs as distinguished from the course of one's employment or the operation of a business —compare BUSINESS EXPENSE in this entry
NOTE: Personal expenses are usually not tax deductible.

Main Entry: expense
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: ex·pensed; ex·pens·ing
1 : to charge with expenses
2 : to write off as an expense
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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