cost
noun
uk/kɒst/ us [ C or U ]
money that has to be spent in order to buy, do, or make something:
Some people are reluctant to seek the help of a financial adviser because of the cost.
the cost of (doing) sth What's the cost of an international call?
cut/lower/reduce the cost If states shared the risk of catastrophic events, this would lower the cost for policyholders.
increase/raise/push up the cost New standards will increase the cost of making and selling diesel vehicles.
the cost increases/rises/goes up Raw material costs have risen faster than expected.
the cost goes down/drops/falls The cost of farm subsidies is expected to fall thanks to large exports and healthy prices.
an increase/rise in the cost of sth an increase in the cost of goods and services
travel/childcare/healthcare costs All travel costs will be reimbursed by your employer.
legal/medical/insurance costs Republican candidates offered tax credits to lower health insurance costs.
high/rising/spiralling cost(s) Spiralling fuel costs have hit motorists hard.
additional/average/extra cost The average cost of insuring a family car in 2011 was £360.
estimated/projected cost Total projected cost is $2.5 billion.
cover/pay/meet the cost A one-off disposal fee covers the cost of collection and recycling
at a cost of $4 billion/£150,000, etc. plans to build ten new power stations at a cost of £2 billion each
the cost to sb "What will the cost to taxpayers be?" is the question on everyone's lips.
Strategic alliances can provide growth at a fraction of the cost of going it alone.
Apartments in Brooklyn often sell at half the cost of apartments in Manhattan.
costs [ plural ]
money that a company or organization has to spend regularly:
Company legislation deals with key issues such as costs, advertising, and promotional spend.
the costs of (doing) sth Small companies find it hard to bear the costs of promotion and distribution.
cut/reduce/rein in costs There was a drive to cut costs by using fewer suppliers.
high/rising/escalating costs Escalating costs have adversely affected profits.
increase/rise in costs Technological advances have sparked most of the rise in costs, industry analysts claimed.
reduction in costs A reduction in costs should help boost end-of-year figures.
administrative/labour/production costs
energy/fuel costs
additional/actual/extra costs The OFT said yesterday that credit card providers could only charge for the actual costs of processing late payments.
incur costs Adequate compensation should be provided for any costs incurred.
cover/recover/recoup costs Because private farmers can't recoup their costs, they are cutting production.
costs rise/go up/increase Staff costs have risen by 20% in the past two years.
costs come/go down Alternative energy sources will become more widely used as costs come down.
[ U ] ACCOUNTING
the amount of money that is spent to produce goods or services, before any profit is added for the manufacturer or producer:
Mass-market retailers often sell items such as bread and milk at cost to pull in customers.
Supermarkets were accused of encouraging irresponsible drinking by selling beer and cider at below cost.
See also
cost price
[ C ] ACCOUNTING
an amount of money that a company has to pay and that appears in its accounts:
The amount paid for the lease should be entered as a cost in the profit and loss account.
The depreciation of the value of equipment is treated as a cost.
[ S or U ]
something that is given, needed or lost in order to get a particular thing:
cost to sb/sth We will help you run your business with less cost to the environment.
at a cost to sth She continued in the job, but at a great cost to her health.
cost in sth They felt that continuing with the project was not worth the cost in time and effort.
considerable/enormous/great cost
costs [ plural ] (also legal costs)
LAW
the money that helps pay for the lawyers and the court in a legal case, usually paid by the person or organization that has lost the case:
They were fined $50,000 and ordered to pay $10,000 in costs.
See also
accrued cost
acquisition cost
bid costs
carrying cost
conversion cost
current cost
customer acquisition cost
depreciated cost
direct cost
discretionary costs
economic cost
employment costs
factor cost
factory cost
first cost
fixed cost
hard cost
high-cost
historic cost
holding cost
incremental cost
indirect cost
cost price
life cycle cost
low-cost
marginal cost
operating cost
opportunity cost
overhead cost
prime cost
real cost
replacement cost
restructuring cost
running cost
selling cost
set-up cost
social cost
soft cost
standard cost
standby cost
start-up cost
sunk cost
switching cost
transaction cost
unit cost
variable cost
cost
verb [ T ]
uk/kɒst/ us cost | cost
if something costs a particular amount of money, you have to pay that amount in order to buy or have it:
cost $1 million/£500,000, etc. Calls cost 60 cents per minute.
cost sb $1 million/£500,00, etc. Deregulation allowed the company to fix electricity prices, costing consumers billions of dollars.
cost more/less than Stamp duty is up to 3% on properties costing more than £250,000.
cost about/around/up to luxury apartments costing up to £900,000 each
be expected/estimated to cost The project, which was originally expected to cost $1 billion, is now estimated at $1.8 billion
cost as little/much as Hundreds of items, some costing as little as $1, are for sale.
if something costs you your job, an opportunity, etc. it prevents you from keeping or having it:
The airline folded, costing 3.000 jobs.
cost sb sth Problems with our suppliers could cost us the opportunity to grow our business.
ACCOUNTING costed
to calculate the price of something or to decide how much it will cost:
Has the project been costed yet?
cost sth at The new rail line was costed at £150 billion.
cost (sb) a fortune/a bomb/the earth informal
to be very expensive:
The court case will cost the company a fortune.