Meaning & use
Costs
Last updated
The amounts of money required to produce, purchase, or maintain something; expenses.
See it in a sentence
The company is cutting costs by switching to renewable energy.
The judge ordered the losing party to pay the court costs.
A note on using this word
In law, 'costs' refers specifically to the litigation expenses a court may order one party to pay another, separate from any damages awarded in the case.
Words with a similar meaning
expensesexpenditures
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Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. noun
Legal expenses of a lawsuit that a court may order one party to pay to another.
Because the claim was found to be frivolous, the plaintiff was ordered to pay the defendant's costs.
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