(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Expense is the money that something costs you or that you need to spend in order to do something.
He’s bought a specially big TV at vast ~ so that everyone can see properly...
It was not a fortune but would help to cover household ~s.
N-VAR
2.
Expenses are amounts of money that you spend while doing something in the course of your work, which will be paid back to you afterwards. (BUSINESS)
As a member of the International Olympic Committee her fares and hotel ~s were paid by the IOC...
Can you claim this back on ~s?
N-PLURAL: oft poss N
3.
If you do something at someone’s ~, they provide the money for it.
Should architects continue to be trained for five years at public ~?...
PHRASE: PHR after v
4.
If someone laughs or makes a joke at your ~, they do it to make you seem foolish.
I think he’s having fun at our ~.
PHRASE: PHR after v
5.
If you achieve something at the ~ of someone, you do it in a way which might cause them some harm or disadvantage.
According to this study, women have made notable gains at the ~ of men.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n
6.
If you say that someone does something at the ~ of another thing, you are expressing concern at the fact that they are not doing the second thing, because the first thing uses all their resources.
The orchestra has more discipline now, but at the ~ of spirit.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n disapproval
7.
If you go to the ~ of doing something, you do something which costs a lot of money. If you go to great ~ to do something, you spend a lot of money in order to achieve it.
Why go to the ~ of buying an electric saw when you can hire one?...
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of -ing, PHR to-inf