Money that is spent on something, especially as part of regular costs. It can also mean a sacrifice or cost in a more general sense.
From Latin *expensa* ‘things weighed out, payment’, from *expendere* ‘to weigh out, pay’. It moved from the act of paying to the thing paid.
An expense is basically the ‘receipt’ side of your actions—every choice leaves a cost somewhere. That’s why phrases like ‘at the expense of your health’ feel so strong: they treat your well-being like a bill that must be paid.
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