outgoings
B2-C1Formal, Business/Financial
Definition
Meaning
Regular money spent; expenses.
The amounts of money a person or organization pays out regularly, such as rent, utilities, loans, and other operational costs. Can also refer figuratively to the resources (e.g., time, energy) that are expended.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Always plural. Refers to the totality of expenditure items, not a single cost. Contrasts with 'income' or 'receipts'. Used primarily for recurring, regular expenditures rather than one-off purchases.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Common and standard in British English. In American English, 'expenses' is overwhelmingly preferred in most contexts; 'outgoings' is rare, formal, and may sound like a Britishism.
Connotations
In British English, it is a neutral, standard business/financial term. In American English, if used, it can sound technical, archaic, or overly formal.
Frequency
High frequency in UK business/financial contexts. Very low frequency in US English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] has/have [adjective] outgoings.[Verb] (calculate/reduce/manage) your outgoings.Outgoings on [item] (e.g., rent).Outgoings exceed income.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[Your] outgoings exceed your income (leading to debt).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
A key term in budgeting and financial statements, e.g., 'The company's monthly outgoings include rent, salaries, and software subscriptions.'
Academic
Used in economics and business studies papers discussing household or corporate finance.
Everyday
Common in UK personal finance discussions, e.g., 'Before getting a mortgage, you need to list all your monthly outgoings.'
Technical
Used in accounting and bookkeeping to categorize money paid out.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The funds outgo to suppliers on the 15th of each month. (rare, archaic)
American English
- (Virtually never used as a verb.)
adverb
British English
- (No adverbial form for the financial term.)
American English
- (No adverbial form for the financial term.)
adjective
British English
- (The adjective is 'outgoing' and is unrelated to finance, e.g., an outgoing personality.)
American English
- (Same as British.)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- (Not typically introduced at A2.)
- My main outgoings are rent and food.
- You should write a list of your outgoings.
- After the rent increase, her monthly outgoings rose by £200.
- The business must keep its outgoings lower than its income to be profitable.
- A detailed cash flow projection requires an accurate forecast of both anticipated income and fixed outgoings.
- The consultancy recommended a thorough review of all operational outgoings to identify potential savings.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of money GOING OUT of your pocket. OUT + GO + INGS = the things (plural) that go out.
Conceptual Metaphor
FINANCE IS LIQUID FLOW (money flows out).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate as 'исходящие' (which refers to outgoing mail/messages). The correct conceptual translation is 'расходы' (expenses).
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a singular noun (e.g., 'a high outgoing'). It is always plural. Confusing it with 'outgoing' (adjective) meaning sociable.
Practice
Quiz
In which variety of English is 'outgoings' the most common and natural term for regular expenses?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is exclusively a plural noun. You cannot have 'an outgoing' in the financial sense.
The most common and direct equivalent in American English is 'expenses'.
Yes, it is commonly used in British English for both personal/household finances and business finances.
'Outgoings' typically refers to specific, regular items of expense. 'Expenditure' is a more general, often uncountable term for the total amount of money spent.