cost 1 of 2

noun

ˈkȯst How to pronounce cost (audio)
Definition of costnext
1
as in expense
a payment made in the course of achieving a result the newlyweds spared no cost in building the kitchen of their dreams

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Relevance
2
as in price
the amount of money that is demanded as payment for something we can't afford the cost of a house just yet, so we're renting an apartment

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3
as in risk
the loss or penalty involved in achieving a goal they won the war, but at a terrible cost in lives

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cost

2 of 2

verb

as in to fetch
to have a price of the raffle tickets cost a dollar each

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cost
Noun
Surface mining operations can lower fuel and energy costs by 40% to 60% depending on electricity rates and solar availability. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026 To avoid that cost, the sports entertainment company moved 12,000 virtual machines (VMs) to VergeIO’s VergeOS and has saved over $11 million so far. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
The tradition began in 1996, when the debut style was worn in a print magazine ad by Claudia Schiffer and cost $1 million. — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026 Between revenue sharing and NIL, football rosters at schools like Ohio State, Oregon and Texas currently cost around $50 million, according to reporting by The Athletic. — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cost
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cost
  1. expense
  2. price
  3. fetch
  4. expenditure
  5. fee
  6. bring
Noun
  • As Rose begins his fight against leukemia, his family is facing the emotional and financial challenges of medical treatments and ongoing healthcare expenses.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
  • For Hobby, delays in state funding for her college expenses — and now her professional licensing — slowed her progress toward a better-paying career.
    — Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of expense
Noun
  • The city-state had tightened its policy in back to back in April and July, citing inflation risks due to higher energy prices.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The price of Brent crude oil rose to $106 per barrel this morning.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of price
Verb
  • The result that Stanley feels is more representative of the car’s value was the figure fetched for a yellow SP3 showing just 227 miles.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The gallery had other notable sales from Oli Epp, whose new paintings sold for $55,000 each, and Shim Moon-Seup, who had a painting that fetched above $63,000.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fetch
Noun
  • With the company expected to deploy tons of cash toward expanding Muse, investors will be closely watching its capital expenditure plans.
    — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But the attorney general said the expenditures have been worth it, salvaging billions in state funding that the administration had sought to claw back, and protecting the rights of the state and its residents.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of expenditure
Noun
  • But the fee puts considerable professional access within reach of people financing their own ambitions.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of fee
Verb
  • Creality's approach is rather different, swapping smaller nozzle assemblies instead of complete print heads, and potentially bringing the benefits of multi-nozzle printing to a more affordable machine.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • For the Bills fans, the store opening is bringing a slice of home and Upstate New York.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of bring

Browse Nearby Words

cossets
cost
costar
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Cite this Entry

“Cost.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cost. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cost

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cost

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