budget

1 of 3

noun

bud·​get ˈbə-jət How to pronounce budget (audio)
1
chiefly dialectal : a usually leather pouch, wallet, or pack
also : its contents
2
3
: a quantity (as of energy or water) involved in, available for, or assignable to a particular situation
the A-bomb … yields its budget of energy … in a fraction of a secondScientific American Reader
also : an account of gains and losses of such a quantity
the global carbon budget
4
finance
a
: a statement of the financial position of an administration (as of a nation) for a definite period of time based on estimates of expenditures during the period and proposals for financing them
b
: a plan for the coordination of resources and expenditures
develop a budget for her company
c
: the amount of money that is available for, required for, or assigned to a particular purpose
a weekly budget for a family of five
a budget of less than $3000
budgetary adjective

budget

2 of 3

verb

budgeted; budgeting; budgets

transitive verb

1
a
: to put or allow for in a statement or plan coordinating resources and expenditures : to put or allow for in a budget
budgeted $200 a month to pay back student loans
funds budgeted by the administration for the project
b
: to require to adhere to a budget
Budget yourself wisely.
2
a
: to allocate funds for in a budget
budget a new hospital
b
: to plan or provide for the use of in detail
budgeting manpower
Budget your time wisely.

intransitive verb

: to put oneself on a budget
budgeting for a vacation

budget

3 of 3

adjective

: suitable for someone whose is following a plan for coordinating resources and expenditures : suitable for one on a budget (see budget entry 1) : inexpensive

Examples of budget in a Sentence

Noun What's the average weekly budget for a family of five? The film has a million-dollar budget. He's been trying to live on a budget of less than $1,500 a month. We'll have to work out a budget so we can buy a new car. Verb They budgeted millions of dollars to make the film. The project is budgeted at more than $100,000. He budgets $50 for entertainment each month. If we budget carefully, we will be able to go on the trip. I need to learn how to budget my time more wisely. Adjective a budget phone plan for people on fixed incomes
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
During the reading of the U.K. government’s spring budget on Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt revealed a 40% corporate tax relief for film and TV studios through 2034. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Redford, who had always had an ambivalent relationship with Hollywood, wanted to create a space for something more experimental, less beholden to the corporate imperatives of budgets and deadlines. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Oil and gas has a concentrated number of players, with bigger budgets to clean up their operations. Julia Simon, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 The whole purpose was to impact the budget of the police department. Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 Scott Peterson/Getty Images/The Christian Science Monitor In Kharkiv, officials suggest that local budgets may shrink 40% this year. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar. 2024 Riddle me this: Why have increases in food prices been in line with inflation from the 1980s until the Biden administration took over? Food prices increased by 11.4 percent in 2022, an astonishing jump that inflicted deep harm on the budgets of millions of families. Robert H. Bork Jr., National Review, 4 Mar. 2024 Waring frequently critiques the city's homeless programs and recently suggested nixing the Heat Office to weather financial headwinds projected in future budgets. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 In a 4-0 vote, commissioners approved the reduced budget Thursday. Joey Flechas, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
It was budgeted for 4,587 total positions, according to the city’s budget plan. Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024 Sanders, with the help of housing authority case workers, spent years budgeting and tidying her credit before convincing a bank to give her a mortgage. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2024 Navigating the gig economy can be made easier by thinking of your cumulative income sources as a business, budgeting to avoid lifestyle creep, making moves to manage taxes, and investing according to your goals. Cicely Jones, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Last year, as consumers shifted to budget friendly options, the company introduced a 3.5-yuan ice cream. Subrat Patnaik, Bloomberg.com, 22 Feb. 2024 However, its backers Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company say the film was modestly budgeted, so that could soften box office shortcomings. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024 The facility, announced back in 2021, was budgeted between $65 million to $75 million, according to the trade website Fierce Pharma. Samantha Gowen, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024 Utilizing gamification software platforms improves the efficacy of these programs, making budgeting more pleasant and inspiring to employees. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 About a thousand widows have been nominated, but she’s budgeted for 1,200 — and widows can indeed be repeat customers, so to speak. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024
Adjective
In terms of airlines, the top five carriers with the most delays were a mix of budget and non-budget airlines. Jessica Poitevien, Travel + Leisure, 4 Nov. 2021 On Friday, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s disaster drama Notre-Dame on Fire opens opposite Japanese rock opera anime Inu-Oh, directed by Masaaki Yuasa, as well as several mid-budget Chinese releases. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2023 Of course, there's something else that will forever link these mid-budget American triumphs, and that's when and where they were made: Portions of No Country for Old Men and There Will Blood were shot concurrently in the same place, the tiny desert town of Marfa, Texas, on the same dates in 2006. A.a. Dowd, Chron, 10 Mar. 2023 Although his turn into action is often the butt of jokes, the vast majority of these projects are quality, mid-budget adult thrillers that are sorely lacking in the multiplex nowadays. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 17 Feb. 2023 Last month it was revealed that the mid-budget Western movie would continue with its production. Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2023 As the rom com got further and further buried under capes and spandex and piles of money, so did the mid-budget Austen adaptations, with a few exceptions. Carrie Wittmer, Vulture, 18 July 2022 But Nelson has more on his mind as his characters navigate the rapidly shifting entertainment landscape, amid the rise of streaming and the fall of the mid-budget drama. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2023 Turns out everyone thought the perfect thing to pair with Thanksgiving turkey was a mid-budget mystery with a superstar cast and a potentially gay detective. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 29 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'budget.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bowgette, from Middle French bougette, diminutive of bouge leather bag, from Latin bulga, of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish bolg bag; akin to Old English belg bag — more at belly

Verb

derivative of budget entry 1

Adjective

from attributive use of budget entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1618, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of budget was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near budget

Cite this Entry

“Budget.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/budget. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

budget

1 of 2 noun
bud·​get ˈbəj-ət How to pronounce budget (audio)
1
2
a
: a statement of estimated income and expenses
b
: a plan for using money
c
: the amount of money available for some purpose
budgetary adjective

budget

2 of 2 verb
1
: to put on or in a budget
budget $50 for entertainment
2
: to provide funds for in a budget
budget a new car
3
: to plan the use of
budget one's time
Etymology

Noun

Middle English bowgette "small leather pouch," derived from early French bouge "leather bag," from Latin bulga "leather bag" — related to bulge

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