cost

[kawst, kost] /kɔst, kɒst/
noun
1.
the price paid to acquire, produce, accomplish, or maintain anything:
the high cost of a good meal.
2.
an outlay or expenditure of money, time, labor, trouble, etc.:
What will the cost be to me?
3.
a sacrifice, loss, or penalty:
to work at the cost of one's health.
4.
costs, Law.
  1. money allowed to a successful party in a lawsuit in compensation for legal expenses incurred, chargeable to the unsuccessful party.
  2. money due to a court or one of its officers for services in a cause.
verb (used with object), cost or for 10, costed; costing.
5.
to require the payment of (money or something else of value) in an exchange:
That camera cost $200.
6.
to result in or entail the loss of:
Carelessness costs lives.
7.
to cause to lose or suffer:
The accident cost her a broken leg.
8.
to entail (effort or inconvenience):
Courtesy costs little.
9.
to cause to pay or sacrifice:
That request will cost us two weeks' extra work.
10.
to estimate or determine the cost of (manufactured articles, new processes, etc.):
We have costed the manufacture of each item.
verb (used without object), costed or cost; costing.
11.
to estimate or determine costs, as of manufacturing something.
Verb phrases, past and past participle costed or cost; present participle costing.
12.
cost out, to calculate the cost of (a project, product, etc.) in advance:
The firm that hired him just costed out a major construction project last month.
Idioms
13.
at all costs, regardless of the effort involved; by any means necessary:
The stolen painting must be recovered at all costs.
Also, at any cost.
Origin
1200-50; (v.) Middle English costen < Anglo-French, Old French co(u)ster < Latin constāre to stand together, be settled, cost; cf. constant; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the v.
Related forms
costless, adjective
costlessness, noun
recost, verb (used with object), recost, recosting.
Synonyms
1. charge, expense, expenditure, outlay. See price. 3. detriment.

cost-

1.
variant of costo- before a vowel:
costate.
Examples from the web for cost
  • Academics have struggled to place a price tag on the cost of treating those carrying around too much weight.
  • The majority of players elected to impose a penalty even when it cost them some of their own money.
  • In our area, cost is about the same as the price of a parking-lot tree.
  • The price of an illegal substance is determined more by the cost of distribution than of production.
  • In the past, he said, green roofs have cost about twice the price of conventional roofs.
  • The cost of doing business began to drop three years ago, driven by sinking supply and utility costs.
  • The cost of telecommunications has fallen worldwide.
  • And retiring infrastructure early would mean that avoiding dangerous climate change would cost much more money.
  • It is the real cost of projects actually completed and in operation.
  • The size and cost of batteries are already coming down and with gov support, things will get better, even faster.
British Dictionary definitions for cost

cost

/kɒst/
noun
1.
the price paid or required for acquiring, producing, or maintaining something, usually measured in money, time, or energy; expense or expenditure; outlay
2.
suffering or sacrifice; loss; penalty: count the cost to your health, I know to my cost
3.
  1. the amount paid for a commodity by its seller: to sell at cost
  2. (as modifier): the cost price
4.
(pl) (law) the expenses of judicial proceedings
5.
at any cost, at all costs, regardless of cost or sacrifice involved
6.
at the cost of, at the expense of losing
verb costs, costing, cost
7.
(transitive) to be obtained or obtainable in exchange for (money or something equivalent); be priced at: the ride cost one pound
8.
to cause or require the expenditure, loss, or sacrifice (of): the accident cost him dearly
9.
to estimate the cost of (a product, process, etc) for the purposes of pricing, budgeting, control, etc
Derived Forms
costless, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French (n), from coster to cost, from Latin constāre to stand at, cost, from stāre to stand
Word Origin and History for cost
n.

c.1200, from Old French cost (12c., Modern French coût) "cost, outlay, expenditure; hardship, trouble," from Vulgar Latin *costare, from Latin constare, literally "to stand at" (or with), with a wide range of figurative senses including "to cost." The idiom is the same one used in Modern English when someone says something "stands at X dollars" to mean it sells for X dollars. The Latin word is from com- "with" (see com-) + stare "to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand" (see stet).

v.

late 14c., from Old French coster (Modern French coûter) "to cost," from cost (see cost (n.)).

Idioms and Phrases with cost

cost

see: