Synonyms for cost
- noun
- verb
Most common
Definitions
- n. 1
Amount of money, time, etc. that is required or used.
We have to cut costs if we want to avoid bankruptcy.
- v. 1
To incur a charge of; to require payment of a (specified) price.
This shirt cost $50, while this was cheaper at only $30.
Related words
Forms
- Plural
- costs → prices, expenses, expenditures, outlays…
- Past participle
- costed
Choose the right word
The cost of a thing is whatever one surrenders or gives up for it, intentionally or unintentionally, or even unconsciously; expense is what is laid out by calculation or intention.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- price Houses here are double the price of those in Kobe.
- expense Our household expense got into the red last month.
- expenditure The budget does not allow for this expenditure.
- outlay The initial outlay is quite high, but it's sure to pay off.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| cost | falling | |
| price | falling | |
| expense | falling | |
| expenditure | falling | |
| outlay | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 2 letters
- be1
- 4 letters
- rate1, loss1, toll1
- 5 letters
- price1, value2
- 6 letters
- charge1, damage2, outlay2, charre
- 7 letters
- expense2
- 9 letters
- detriment3
- 11 letters
- expenditure4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (value2 = 2 syllables).