📒 the amount of money that you need in order to buy, make or do something
- cost of something the high/low cost of housing
- at a cost of something A new computer system has been installed at a cost of £80 000.
- You could buy a used car at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
📒 the total amount of money that needs to be spent by a business
- The use of cheap labour helped to keep costs down.
- Reducing costs means we can keep prices as low as possible.
- We have to find new ways of cutting costs.
📒 the effort, loss or damage that is involved in order to do or achieve something
- the cost of something the terrible cost of the war in death and suffering
- the environmental cost of nuclear power
- at the cost of something She saved him from the fire at the cost of her own life (= she died).
📒 the sum of money that somebody is ordered to pay for lawyers, etc. in a legal case
- He was ordered to pay £2 000 costs.
- She was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs.
- Both sides incurred costs of over $50 000.
📒 whatever is needed to achieve something
- You must stop the press from finding out at all costs.
📒 under any circumstances
- He is determined to win at any cost.
📒 for only the amount of money that is needed to make or get something, without any profit being added on
📒 to feel the bad effects of a mistake, an accident, etc.
- The town is now counting the cost of its failure to provide adequate flood protection.
📒 to know something because of something unpleasant that has happened to you
- She is a tough competitor, as I know to my cost.