cost

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: the amount or equivalent paid or charged for something : price
The average cost of a college education has gone up dramatically.
b
: the outlay or expenditure (as of effort or sacrifice) made to achieve an object
He achieved fame, but at the cost of losing several friends.
2
: loss or penalty incurred especially in gaining something
the cost of lives during war
3
costs plural : expenses incurred in a judicial process
especially : those given by the law or the court to the prevailing party against the losing party
costless adjective
costlessly adverb

cost

2 of 2

verb

cost; costing

intransitive verb

1
: to require expenditure or payment
The best goods cost more.
2
: to require effort, suffering, or loss

transitive verb

1
: to have a price of
Each ticket costs 25 dollars.
2
: to cause to pay, suffer, or lose something
Frequent absences cost him his job.
3
past costed ˈkä-stəd How to pronounce cost (audio) : to estimate or set the cost of
often used with out
The project has yet to be costed out.
Phrases
at all costs
: regardless of the cost or consequences
was determined to win at all costs
at cost
: for the price of production
buys clothes at cost directly from the manufacturer

Examples of cost in a Sentence

Noun She attends college at a cost of $15,000 a year. The average cost of raising a family has increased dramatically. We offer services at a fraction of the cost of other companies. What's the difference in cost? They believe that everyone should have access to adequate medical care, regardless of cost. The cost of doing business in this area is high. We need better cost control. Winning the war, he believes, was worth the cost in lives. What are the costs and benefits of the new law? Verb The trip will cost you about $100 each way. The project will end up costing the government an estimated 3.5 billion dollars. It will cost you a lot of money, but it'll be worth it. His frequent absences ended up costing him his job. The error cost me a reprimand, but nothing more serious than that. a blunder that has cost her considerable embarrassment
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
To help offset costs, government incentives to cut emissions have become available. Shane Shifflett, WSJ, 14 Mar. 2024 While there are many factors driving people to move from San Diego to elsewhere in California or out of state, demographers agree that the leading motivator is the region’s unabated rise in the cost of housing, coupled with a still lingering willingness of many employers to permit remote work. Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 Like the company’s Falcon rockets, the Starship and Super Heavy booster are both designed to return to Earth and be reusable, which Musk has said will dramatically lower the cost of space travel. Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Related article Food prices hold steady, but Americans have a beef with the cost of a burger On a monthly basis, PPI rose 0.6%. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The scale of the litigation is a clear indication that communities around the U.S. are desperate to find the money to pay for PFAS cleanup — the full cost of which is not yet clear, but could be as much as $400 billion. Zoya Teirstein / Grist, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 The first proposal in the letter (published in full below) addressed the hottest issue of the time: The cost of attendance, defined as the true expense associated with attending college beyond the value of athletic scholarships that cover room, books and board. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 But the cost of the plant soon ballooned by over $8 billion from initial forecasts, as inflation drove up construction and material costs, Reuters reported last March. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 14 Mar. 2024 Bozeman isn’t the only small mountain town facing sky-high housing costs. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
Ted Turner, the company’s largest individual shareholder at the time of the merger, later told The New York Times that the deal had cost him 80 percent of his worth, about $8 billion. Chris Kornelis, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Temptation will cost you emotionally, financially or physically. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 As a result, vehicles suffering a collision may be more prone to a total write-off as the repair could cost more than its residual value. José Rodríguez Jr. / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 The highly controversial backdrop program, initially pitched as costing little or nothing, pays out bonuses to county workers who agree to work past their retirement date. Daniel Bice, Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2024 General admission tickets cost $35, while VIP tickets — which include an open bar and a special entrance and separate bathrooms — cost $99 per person. Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024 In yet another game, the Jayhawks struggled to defend the 3-point line, costing them heavily. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024 Procrastination may cost you: Interest on unpaid taxes and late penalties (yes, even penalties accrue interest) have more than doubled to 8 percent from just a couple years ago. Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cost.' 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

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French custer, couster, from Latin constare to stand firm, cost — more at constant

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cost was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cost

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

cost

1 of 2 noun
1
: the amount paid or charged for something : price
2
: the loss or penalty involved in achieving a goal
won the battle at the cost of many lives
3
plural : legal expenses given to the winning side against the losing side
fined $50 and costs

cost

2 of 2 verb
cost; costing
1
: to have a price of : require payment of
each ticket costs one dollar
2
: to cause one to pay, spend, or lose
mistakes cost him his job

Legal Definition

cost

noun
1
: the amount or equivalent paid or charged for something
2
plural : expenses incurred in litigation
especially : those given by the law or the court to the prevailing party against the losing party

More from Merriam-Webster on cost

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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