cost
cost — noun
1. the money that people pay when buying a product, using a service, or having work
the money that people pay when buying a product, using a service, or having work carried out.
The cost of a monthly train pass in Taipei has risen again this year.
cost + of + noun phrase for specifying what
Lan checked the total cost before adding the items to her online basket.
total cost as a common collocation
Rising food costs are forcing many families to change their weekly shopping habits.
rising costs as a subject collocation
The cost of building a new school includes materials, labour, and permits.
- total cost
- rising cost
- high cost
- low cost
- cost of living
- cost of production
Grammar Patterns
cost + of + noun phrase
the cost of [doing something]
Usage Note
Often used with 'the cost of + noun/-ing' to specify what the money is for. When talking about general prices for everyday items, 'price' is more common than 'cost'.
Common Mistakes
2. the money that a company or an organisation must spend on things such as materia
the money that a company or an organisation must spend on things such as materials, wages, rent, or legal fees in order to operate.
The company needs to cut costs to stay competitive in the global market.
collocation: cut/reduce costs
Christopher calculated the shipping costs for the entire project before submitting the budget.
shipping costs as a noun-noun collocation
Legal costs in the lawsuit went far beyond what the firm had expected.
Operating costs include rent, electricity, and employee salaries.
- cut costs
- reduce costs
- operating costs
- production costs
- legal costs
- shipping costs
- labour costs
- costs rise
- expenses
broader term covering all money spent; used in both business and personal contexts
- overheads
fixed ongoing costs of running a business (rent, utilities), not project-based
- outlay
more formal; often refers to a one-time spending to start something
- spending
general term; less specific to business accounting
Grammar Patterns
costs + of + noun phrase
cut/reduce costs
Usage Note
Typically appears in plural form (costs) when referring to ongoing business expenses. The singular form may refer to a single legal or project expense.
Common Mistakes
3. something important — such as time, health, a relationship, or a life — that peo
something important — such as time, health, a relationship, or a life — that people surrender so they can reach a particular goal.
Antonia built a successful business, but at the cost of her health and personal relationships.
phrase: at the cost of + sacrificed thing
The army captured the city at a terrible cost in human lives.
Emre decided to help his friend move house, even at the cost of his own weekend.
The environmental cost of cheap manufacturing is often ignored by shoppers looking for low prices.
collocation: environmental / human cost
- at the cost of
- human cost
- environmental cost
- emotional cost
- terrible cost
Grammar Patterns
at the cost of + noun phrase
at + possessive + cost
Usage Note
Frequently appears in the fixed phrases 'at the cost of [something]' or 'at [possessive] cost'. Distinguish from sense 1 — here the sacrifice is not money but something more abstract.
Common Mistakes
4. a difficult or painful experience that teaches someone a lesson they will not fo
a difficult or painful experience that teaches someone a lesson they will not forget; used only in the fixed expression 'to one's cost'.
Stefan learned to his cost that verbal agreements are useless when one party decides to break them.
fixed phrase: learn to one's cost
Many small business owners discover to their cost that customers do not always pay on time.
pattern: discover/find out to one's cost
Jude found out to his cost that buying the cheapest laptop only leads to expensive repairs later.
The team knew to its cost that skipping safety checks was never worth the time saved.
Grammar Patterns
to + possessive + cost
learn/find out/know to one's cost
Usage Note
This is not a standalone sense — the word 'cost' here can only appear as part of the fixed phrase 'to one's cost' (after verbs such as learn, discover, find out, or know). The phrase always means 'through an unpleasant personal experience.' Do not use 'cost' alone to mean 'a lesson learned from hardship.'
Common Mistakes
to one's cost
idiomused after verbs such as learn, discover, or know to mean 'through an unpleasant personal experience'.
Tanvi learned to her cost that investing all her savings in one business was too risky.
Many travellers discover to their cost that cheap flights often hide extra fees.
at all cost/costs
idiomDoing everything possible to achieve a goal, no matter what difficulties arise.
Maya wanted to save her company at all costs.
Will you protect your family at all cost?
at any cost
idiomNo matter what happens or what must be sacrificed.
Diego was determined to win the race at any cost.
Should we pursue this plan at any cost?
at cost
idiomFor the exact price paid to produce or purchase an item, without extra profit.
Employees can buy company products at cost.
The restaurant sold the extra ingredients at cost.
To experience the negative consequences of a mistake or bad decision.
After the flood, the town counted the cost of poor planning.
Sara is now counting the cost of her hasty investment.
To learn something from a personal unpleasant experience.
Brian learned to his cost that honesty is the best policy.
I know to my cost how dangerous that road can be.
cost — verb
1. to need a particular amount of money to be paid by a buyer — used to state the p
to need a particular amount of money to be paid by a buyer — used to state the price of something, whether a single item, a service, or an activity.
The new phone costs around eight hundred dollars in most shops.
cost + amount of money (no passive)
How much does it cost to fly from Taipei to Tokyo during the holiday season?
cost + to-infinitive for activities
These urgent repairs will cost you more than buying a brand-new machine.
cost + someone + amount (indirect object)
A ticket for the concert costs fifty dollars if you book at least two weeks ahead.
- cost a lot
- cost a fortune
- cost a small fortune
- cost nothing
- cost an arm and a leg
- be priced at
more formal; often used in writing or signs rather than conversation
- go for
informal — 'The jacket went for $40 at the sale'
- sell for
focuses on the seller's activity rather than the buyer's payment
Grammar Patterns
cost + amount
cost + someone + amount
cost + amount + to-infinitive
Usage Note
This verb never takes the passive form ('X is cost $10'). The subject is always the thing being bought or done. The past tense and past participle are both 'cost' (not 'costed').
Common Mistakes
❌ 'It costs $10 to buy a ticket' and 'A ticket costs $10' are both natural.
2. to calculate the total amount of money that will be needed for a project, a prod
to calculate the total amount of money that will be needed for a project, a product, or a piece of work, especially in a business setting.
The builder is costing the materials for the kitchen renovation this week.
costing as a present participle in business context
We need to cost each option carefully before the board makes a final decision.
The project was costed at roughly two million dollars by the consulting firm.
passive: be costed at + amount
A professional accountant costed the entire proposal and found several errors in the estimates.
- cost a project
- cost an estimate
- be costed at
Grammar Patterns
cost + noun phrase
be costed at + amount
Usage Note
Unlike sense 1, this sense uses regular past forms: 'costed' (past tense and past participle). It is primarily used in British English business contexts; American English prefers 'estimate the cost' or 'price' as a verb.
Common Mistakes
3. to make someone lose something important or valuable, such as a job, a relations
to make someone lose something important or valuable, such as a job, a relationship, an opportunity, or even their life, usually as a result of an action or event.
The careless mistake cost him his job and his reputation in the industry.
cost + someone + their + noun (job/reputation)
A single error in the financial report cost the company millions of dollars.
The storm cost the town its only bridge, cutting off access to the nearest hospital.
Her honesty cost her a promotion at work, but she never regretted telling the truth.
cost + someone + a position/opportunity
- cost someone their job
- cost someone their life
- cost someone dearly
- cost a fortune
- lose
the subject is the person who suffers, not the cause — 'He lost his job' vs 'The scandal cost him his job'
- deprive
more formal; used with 'of' — 'The crisis deprived them of their savings'
- cause the loss of
longer and more explicit; used in formal writing
Grammar Patterns
cost + someone + something
cost + someone + their + noun
Usage Note
Takes two objects — the person affected and the thing lost — with no preposition between them. The past form is 'cost' (not 'costed'), matching sense 1.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All five words relate to money, but they are used differently. 'Cost' (verb or noun) focuses on what the buyer must pay or sacrifice for something — 'The repairs cost $500.' 'Price' is the specific amount a seller sets on an item for sale — 'The price tag said $50.' 'Charge' is what a business asks for a service rather than a product — 'The mechanic charged $80 per hour.' 'Fee' is a fixed payment for a professional service, such as a doctor's consultation or school tuition — 'The application fee is $75.' 'Expense' covers any money spent, often as part of a larger budget — 'Travel expenses were reimbursed.' In short: you pay the price of a product, pay a charge or fee for a service, count cost for any purchase or sacrifice, and track expenses for ongoing spending.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'cost' entered English through Old French, where 'cost' meant 'price, expense.' The French word came from Latin 'constare', which combines 'com-' (together) and 'stare' (to stand). In Latin, 'constare' originally meant 'to stand firm' or 'to be settled,' and later came to mean 'to cost' — as in, the price at which a thing 'stands' or is agreed upon. The verb sense 'to calculate the cost' (costed) developed later in business English, and the abstract sense of 'loss or sacrifice' appeared by the 16th century. The idiomatic 'to one's cost' (learn through painful experience) dates from the 1800s.