expenditure
C1Formal, Business, Academic
Definition
Meaning
An amount of money spent.
The act or process of spending or using up resources (money, time, energy).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often implies a formal, tracked, or significant outlay, especially by an organization or government. The plural 'expenditures' often refers to specific items of spending.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. 'Capital expenditure' (CapEx) is a common term in both. Minor spelling preferences ('defence expenditure' UK, 'defense expenditure' US).
Connotations
Neutral-to-formal in both varieties. Slightly more bureaucratic connotation in everyday contexts.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in UK official/government discourse (e.g., 'public expenditure').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
expenditure on + noun (expenditure on research)expenditure of + amount (expenditure of £2 million)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms. The word itself is formal and literal.]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Tracking capital expenditure is crucial for long-term planning.
Academic
The study correlated educational expenditure with literacy outcomes.
Everyday
Our biggest monthly expenditure is on the mortgage.
Technical
The calorific expenditure was calculated using metabolic equivalents.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council must carefully expend its limited resources.
- The energy expended during the climb was immense.
American English
- The company will expend funds on new software.
- He expended great effort to finish on time.
adverb
British English
- [No direct adverb from 'expenditure'. From verb 'expend': 'The resources were expended wisely.']
American English
- [No direct adverb from 'expenditure'. From verb 'expend': 'Funds were expended hastily.']
adjective
British English
- The expendable income figure is calculated after tax.
- Soldiers are not considered expendable assets.
American English
- The project has a large expendable budget.
- In the storyline, the villain's henchmen are expendable.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Our family expenditure is higher in December.
- Food is a big expenditure.
- The government plans to reduce expenditure on roads.
- We need to track our monthly expenditure.
- Capital expenditure decisions can affect a company's growth for years.
- There's been a significant expenditure of time on this research.
- Critics questioned the fiscal prudence of such a massive public expenditure.
- The expenditure of emotional energy in conflict resolution is often underestimated.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: EXIT + PENCE. The money is EXiting your pocket in PENCE (British pennies), i.e., an EXPENDITURE.
Conceptual Metaphor
MONEY/RESOURCES ARE A LIQUID (cash flow, drain on resources, pool of funds).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating as 'траты' in formal contexts; use 'расходы'. 'Expenditure' is more formal than 'spending'. Do not confuse with 'expenses' (расходы/затраты), which are often smaller, recurring items.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'The expenditure for the project was high.' (Use 'on').
- Incorrect plural: 'Many expenditure' (Uncountable; use 'a lot of expenditure' or 'many expenditures' for specific items).
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase is MOST formal and typical in an annual report?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is usually uncountable when referring to the general act or total amount ('Total expenditure rose.'). It can be countable when referring to specific items or instances ('The report listed several large expenditures.').
'Expenditure' often refers to a larger, more formal, or single outlay (capital expenditure). 'Expense' is more general and often refers to a cost incurred, especially a regular or smaller one (business expenses, daily expenses).
Yes, though less common. It can refer to the spending or using up of non-monetary resources like time, effort, or energy (e.g., 'the expenditure of political capital').
Most commonly 'on' (expenditure on healthcare) or 'of' (expenditure of funds). 'For' is sometimes used but 'on' is more standard in formal writing.
Collections
Part of a collection
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Public Policy
C1 · 47 words · Language for governance, policy and administration.