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Meaning & use

expenses

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ɪkˈspensɪz/
US/ɪkˈspensɪz/

“expenses” is a form of “expense”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nounplural

    The amounts of money a person, household or organization has to spend to live or keep a business running.

    Grammar: Plural with a plural verb: the expenses are rising.

    Patterns

    • cut expenses
    • expenses of something
    • living expenses

    After rent and other monthly expenses, she had little left to save.

    The charity keeps its administrative expenses as low as possible.

    Moving abroad brought many unexpected expenses.

  2. nounplural

    Money spent on work-related costs that an employer pays back to the worker.

    Grammar: Often used with claim, submit or pay: claim your expenses.

    Patterns

    • claim expenses
    • expenses paid
    • on expenses

    Please submit your travel expenses by the end of the month.

    The firm covers hotel and meal expenses for all conference trips.

    He put the taxi fare through as expenses.

Common combinations

living expenses
Students often struggle to cover their living expenses.
claim expenses
You can claim expenses for any train tickets bought for the project.
travel expenses
Travel expenses are reimbursed within two weeks.
cut expenses
We had to cut expenses when the shop's sales dropped.
all expenses paid
The winner received an all expenses paid trip to Rome.
running expenses
The car's running expenses include fuel and insurance.

Synonyms and how they differ

costs
Costs is the most general word for money needed for something, while expenses often means money actually spent or paid out.
expenditure
Expenditure is more formal and usually refers to total spending by a government or organization.
outgoings
Outgoings is a British term for regular payments such as rent and bills, and it sounds more everyday than expenses.
overheads
Overheads are the ongoing costs of running a business, like rent and electricity, not tied to one product.

Opposites

incomerevenue

Word family

expense noun
one cost, or the spending of money
expensive adjective
costing a lot of money
inexpensive adjective
not costing much
expend verb
to spend or use up

Commonly confused: expenses or expanses?

expenses vs expanses

Expanses are wide open areas, as in expanses of snow. It is a different word from expenses, which concerns money.

Practice

My company pays back my train fare, so I always keep the receipt and claim it as ___.

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