COST


Meaning of COST in English

INDEX:

1. what you have to pay for something

2. ways of saying or asking how much something costs

3. to calculate how much something costs

4. to take or ask for an amount of money in return for something you are selling

RELATED WORDS

reduce the price of something : ↑ REDUCE (1, 7)

see also

↑ PAY

↑ VALUE

↑ CHEAP

↑ EXPENSIVE

↑ FREE

↑ MONEY

◆◆◆

1. what you have to pay for something

▷ cost /kɒstǁkɔːst/ [countable noun usually singular]

the amount of money you have to pay for services, activities, or things you need all the time such as food and electricity :

▪ We’ll make sure you have the operation, whatever the cost.

cost of

▪ The cost of electricity has fallen in the last twelve months.

▪ Internet banking will considerably reduce the cost of doing business.

high/low cost

▪ The high cost of health care in the US is causing a great deal of concern.

building/legal/transportation etc costs

▪ If you lose the case, you will face substantial legal costs.

cost of living

the amount of money you need for things such as food, clothes, or rent

▪ Many old people have to live in poverty because of the steady rise in the cost of living.

cut costs

reduce the cost of something

▪ IBM is continuing to cut costs in an effort to be more competitive.

at no extra cost

without having to pay more

▪ We will deliver and install your computer at no extra cost.

running costs

the amount of money that a business or organization regularly spends on things such as salaries, electricity, and rent

▪ £650,000 will be needed to cover the hospital’s running costs during its first year.

▷ price /praɪs/ [countable/uncountable noun]

the amount of money you have to pay for something that is for sale, especially in a shop :

▪ There’s a great new clothes store on Main Street, and its prices seem very reasonable.

price of

▪ What’s the price of a pack of cigarettes nowadays?

high/low price

▪ Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said it was impossible to build a good computer for such a low price.

house/food/oil etc prices

▪ House prices rose by around 12% in the south-east last year.

charge a price

▪ They charge the same price for a takeaway as they do for eating in the restaurant.

half price

half the usual price

▪ I bought these jeans half price in a sale.

reduce/cut prices

▪ Apple was forced to cut prices sharply, reducing its profit margin.

increase/raise prices

▪ The Japanese have raised prices just $8 a vehicle on average.

price rise

increase in the price of something

▪ Experts say they expect price rises to be gradual but persistent.

the asking price

the price that someone wants for something they are selling

▪ The asking price for the 60-acre estate in Atlanta is $27 million.

▷ charge /tʃɑːʳdʒ/ [countable noun]

the amount of money that you pay for a service, or for being allowed to use something :

charge for

▪ There’s no charge for telephoning the operator.

bank/delivery/electricity etc charges

▪ If your order comes to over $30, we will not make a delivery charge.

admission charge

the amount of money you must pay to go into a public place

▪ There’s an admission charge for adults, but children get into the museum free.

at no extra charge

without having to pay more

▪ Members and their guests are welcome to use the club’s facilities at no extra charge.

additional charge

an amount that is added to the usual price

▪ An additional charge of 15% will be added to your bill for service.

▷ fee /fiː/ [countable noun]

the amount of money that you pay to someone for a professional service, or the amount that you pay in order to do something :

fee of

▪ Some actors can ask a fee of around $1,000,000 a movie.

charge a fee

▪ The doctor I saw charged a £100 fee for an initial consultation.

school/legal/medical etc fees

▪ An accident on vacation can cost you a lot in medical fees.

entrance fee

the amount of money you pay to go in somewhere

▪ The entrance fees to the park have gone up by 50%.

▷ rate /reɪt/ [countable noun]

the usual cost of a service or job :

▪ We are able to offer a whole range of services at very reasonable rates.

hourly/weekly/daily rate

▪ Our shop assistants are paid an hourly rate of £5.50

the going rate

the rate that people are willing to pay at the present time

▪ £150 is the going rate for tickets for the concert.

fixed rate

one that is always the same

▪ There is a fixed rate for the job, regardless of how long it takes.

▷ fare /feəʳ/ [countable noun]

the cost of a journey on a bus, train, plane etc :

▪ I had to walk home because I didn’t have enough money for the fare.

coach/train/air etc fare

▪ How much is the train fare from Toronto to Montreal?

▪ A one-week stay in Majorca costs $779 including air fare.

fare increases

▪ The biggest fare increases were on the Kansas City to Minneapolis line.

▷ toll /təʊl/ [countable noun]

money that you have to pay in order to drive over some bridges or roads :

▪ You have to pay tolls on many of the major roads in France.

toll bridge/road/lane

one that you have to pay to use

▪ In 1871 they built a toll bridge from the mainland to the island.

▷ rent /rent/ [countable/uncountable noun]

the amount of money that you pay to live in or use a place that you do not own :

pay rent

▪ She pays £350 a month rent for a one-bedroomed apartment.

high/low rent

▪ Office rents are highest in the city centre.

put up the rent/raise the rent

increase it

▪ If my landlord raises the rent again, I’ll have to look for somewhere smaller.

▷ rental /ˈrentl/ [countable noun usually singular]

the amount of money that you pay to use a car, television, tools etc over a period of time :

▪ The rental on the TV includes maintenance and repairs.

car/television/video etc rental

▪ Car rental is $200 a week and you need a clean driving licence.

2. ways of saying or asking how much something costs

▷ cost /kɒstǁkɔːst/ [verb]

if something costs £10, $100 etc, that is what you have to pay in order to buy it :

▪ How much does a house like that cost in America?

cost £10/$20/a lot etc

▪ Tickets for the show cost £15 or £20.

cost somebody £10/$20 etc

▪ I stayed in a hotel in Paris which cost me $150 a night.

cost a fortune

informal cost a lot of money

▪ Look at Frank’s new Mercedes - it must have cost a fortune.

it costs £10/$20/a lot etc to do something

▪ The Department of Education estimates that it will cost $17 billion to build the new schools.

▷ how much /ˌhaʊ ˈmʌtʃ/ [adverb] spoken

say how much to ask what the price or cost of something is :

▪ That’s a beautiful rug -- how much did you pay for it?

▪ By the way, how much does it cost to use the swimming pool?

▷ be /bi strong biː/ [verb]

if something is £100, $1000 etc, that is how much it costs - use this especially when you are asking or replying to a question about the cost of something :

▪ ‘I like your new shirt - how much was it?’ ‘It was only fifteen pounds.’

▪ I can’t remember how much the flight cost. I think it was around $400.

▷ at a cost of /ət ə ˈkɒst ɒvǁ-ˈkɔːst-/ [preposition]

if something is done, sold etc at a cost of a particular amount, that is how much it costs - used especially in news reports :

▪ Surveys are being conducted in 10 European States at a cost of £50 million.

▷ set somebody back /ˌset somebody ˈbæk/ [transitive phrasal verb]

if something that you buy sets you back a particular amount of money, usually a large amount, that is how much it costs, especially when you think that it is very expensive :

set somebody back £200/$400 etc

▪ A good quality saxophone will set you back at least £1000.

set somebody back

▪ If she’s hoping to buy a new sportscar, it’s going to really set her back!

▷ be priced at /biː ˈpraɪst æt/ [verb phrase]

if a product is priced at a particular price that is how much the person who makes or sells it has decided it should cost :

▪ The book, which is priced at £38, will be available in the shops from September.

▪ I watched a demonstration of their new cordless phone, priced at $350.

▷ sell for/go for /ˈsel fɔːʳ, ˈgəʊ fɔːʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb]

to cost a particular amount of money - use this especially when you think this is more than it is worth :

sell for £400/$600 etc

▪ Clothes with designer labels sell for ridiculous prices nowadays.

▪ Houses in this area are selling for over $400,000.

go for £100/$250 etc

▪ Watches like that are going for about £15 in the market.

go to somebody for £100/$250 etc

▪ The painting finally went to a private collector for $60 million.

▷ fetch /fetʃ/ [transitive verb not in progressive or passive]

if something fetches a particular price, it is sold for that price or someone receives that amount of money by selling it, especially at a public sale :

fetch £40/$500 etc

▪ It’s a very old car, but I’m still hoping it’ll fetch around £200.

▪ Van Gogh’s "Sunflowers’ was expected to fetch more than $20 million.

▷ what’s the damage /ˌwɒts ðə ˈdæmɪdʒ/ British spoken

use this to ask what the total cost of something is, especially a job someone has already done for you or something you have already received :

▪ ‘The mechanic’s just about finished working on your car, sir.’ ‘Thanks, and what’s the damage?’

3. to calculate how much something costs

▷ cost /kɒstǁkɔːst/ [transitive verb usually in passive]

to calculate the total cost of a plan or process - used especially in business contexts :

be costed

▪ The project had been incorrectly costed and the money ran out before it could be completed.

get/have something costed

▪ It would be a good idea to get the plan costed before presenting it to the board.

▷ price /praɪs/ [transitive verb usually in passive]

to decide how much a product should cost :

be priced

▪ Porsche said its new 911 Carrera 4s would be very competitively priced.

▪ Please get your fruit and vegetables weighed and priced before you take them to the checkout.

▷ estimate /ˈestɪmət, ˈestəmət/ [countable noun]

a statement that says how much money it will probably cost to build or repair something :

▪ The final cost was £2000 higher than the original estimate.

estimate for

▪ I’ve asked the builders to give us an estimate for fixing the roof.

▷ quotation also quote informal /kwəʊˈteɪʃ ə n, kwəʊt/ [countable noun]

a written statement of exactly how much money something will cost, especially a service :

▪ Get a few quotations from different firms so that you can compare prices.

4. to take or ask for an amount of money in return for something you are selling

▷ charge /tʃɑːʳdʒ/ [transitive verb]

if someone charges an amount of money for a service or product, that is how much you pay for it :

▪ Lawyers charge such high fees, but they never seem short of clients.

charge £5/$60 etc for

▪ My piano teacher charges £9 for a half hour class.

▪ Small shops charge much higher prices for the same products.

charge somebody £5/$60 etc

▪ The cheapest doctor we could find charged us four hundred francs for a five minute examination.

▷ want £20/$40 etc for /wɒnt ˌtwenti ˈpaʊndz ◂20, etc fɔːʳ ‖wɑːnt-/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal

to ask for or expect to be paid a particular amount of money for something that you are selling to another person :

▪ I might be interested in your TV. How much do you want for it?

▪ Bob said he’d give Frank private guitar lessons, but he wanted $60 an hour.

Longman Activator English vocab.      Английский словарь Longman активатор .