a line item

Meaning

1. 1nouncountablebusinessfinance

   A single entry on a budget, invoice or financial statement that lists one cost or amount separately.

   Grammar: Countable: each line item has its own price.

   Patterns

   • a line item for something
   • a line item in something

   The invoice shows a separate line item for shipping.

   We cut one line item from the budget to save money.

   Each line item must be approved by the manager.

Word forms

Common combinations

budget line item

Training is now a budget line item.

itemized line item

Each itemized line item is explained on page two.

add a line item

Please add a line item for travel costs.

remove a line item

The auditor asked us to remove a line item.

line-item veto

The governor has a line-item veto.

Synonyms and how they differ

entry

Entry is broader and can refer to any record, not specifically a financial row.

charge

Charge is an amount billed, whereas line item names the row on the document.

expense item

Expense item means only costs, while line item can also be income.

Word family

line noun

a row of text or figures

itemize verb

to list each item separately

itemization noun

a detailed list

item noun

a single thing in a list

Commonly confused: a line item or lineup?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a line item”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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