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noun money needed to buy sth ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, high, huge, prohibitive The high cost of energy was a problem for consumers. The cost of repairs would be prohibitive. | low | escalating, rising | basic | full, overall, total You will have to bear the full cost of the building work. | additional, extra She was unwilling to pay the extra cost to get a room to herself. | average A total of 3.6 million tickets at an average cost of $58 are available for the Games. | gross, net | estimated | budgeted | likely, potential | real | annual, monthly, etc. | replacement What is the current replacement cost of these assets? | capital, start-up (business) The capital cost of these projects (= what it costs to set them up) is some $100 million?then there'll be the operating costs. | marginal (business) Competition will drive the price down near to the marginal cost (= the cost of the labour and materials to produce the product). | unit (business) (= the cost of producing one item) | fixed, variable (business) Fixed costs include rent. | direct, indirect VERB + COST bear, cover, meet, pay Allow £15 per day to cover the cost of meals. MPs receive allowances to meet the cost of travel. | increase, push up Inflation is pushing up the cost of living beyond our reach. | bring down, cut, lower, reduce | keep down | estimate, put I would put the cost of a new employee at £30,000 a year. | calculate, work out | reimburse COST + VERB escalate, go up, increase, rise The cost of dental treatment is increasing. | fall, go down COST + NOUN reduction, savings the pursuit of cost reduction | overrun There were cost overruns on each project. | base It is essential that we operate with the lowest possible cost base and most efficient facilities. PREP. at a ~ of A new computer system has been installed at a cost of £80,000. | ~ to The cost to the government will be quite high. PHRASES an increase/a reduction in cost, at no extra cost The hotel offers tea and coffee at no extra cost. | cost of living The cost of living has risen sharply in the last year. costs: money needed to run a business/home, etc. ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, high, huge | low | escalating, rising We have had to raise our prices because of rising costs. | administration/administrative, fuel, labour, operating, production, (research and) development, running, transport, travel VERB + COST incur The corporation will pay all costs and expenses incurred with its written consent. | pay | increase | bring down, cut, lower, reduce The company has to find ways of cutting costs. | keep down The use of cheap labour helped to keep costs down. | cover We're hoping that we'll at least cover costs at the conference. COST + VERB be associated, be involved the costs associated with buying and selling property | escalate, rise effort/loss/damage to achieve sth ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, heavy, huge They advanced a few hundred metres, but at a heavy cost in life. | dreadful, terrible the terrible cost of the war in death and suffering | real | environmental, financial, human, personal, political, social the environmental cost of nuclear power VERB + COST outweigh Do the benefits outweigh the costs? | count The town is now counting the cost of its failure to provide adequate flood protection. PREP. at (a) ~ (to) The raid was foiled, but at a cost: an injured officer who was lucky to escape with his life. He worked non-stop for three months, at considerable cost to his health. | at the ~ of She saved him from the fire but at the cost of her own life. | ~ in I felt a need to please people, whatever the cost in time and energy. PHRASES at all costs/at any cost You must stop the press finding out at all costs (= whatever it takes to achieve this). | to your cost He's a ruthless businessman, as I know to my cost (= I know from my own bad experience). costs: in a court case ADJ. legal VERB + COST incur Both sides incurred costs of over £50,000. | pay He was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs. | be awarded If you win your case you will normally be awarded costs.
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cost verbs pay the cost of something • I’m not sure how I’m going to pay the cost of going to college. cover the cost (= pay for something ) • The money he had saved just covered the cost of the trip. meet/bear the cost of something (= pay for something, especially with difficulty ) • His family were unable to meet the cost of his operation. afford the cost of something • We can’t afford the cost of a holiday abroad this year. reduce/lower/bring down the cost • If you go later in the year, it will bring down the cost of your holiday. cut the cost (= reduce it ) • The government has promised to cut the cost of medical care. increase/push up the cost • The new tax will increase the cost of owning a car. the cost rises/goes up • The cost of electricity has risen again. the cost falls/goes down • Airline costs have fallen considerably. adjectives high/low • the high cost of fuel the average cost • What’s the average cost of a wedding in the UK? an extra/additional cost • At the campsite, many activities are available at no extra cost. the full/total cost • Experts are still assessing the full cost of the disaster. the estimated cost (= one that is guessed and may not be exact ) • The estimated cost was in the region of £3,000. the annual/monthly cost • This figure represents the annual cost of a loan. labour/production/transport etc costs • They had to pay £30,000 in legal costs. running/operating costs (= the amount it costs to run a business, a machine etc ) • The new technology is cheaper and the running costs are lower. borrowing costs (= the amount it costs to borrow money from a bank ) • Interest rates and borrowing costs are likely to be higher next year. phrases the cost of living (= the amount you need to pay for food, clothes etc ) • People are complaining about the rising cost of living. cost a lot • Their hair products are really good but they cost a lot. not cost much • Second hand clothes don’t cost much. cost something per minute/hour/year etc • Calls cost only 2p per minute. cost something per person • There’s a one-day course that costs £80 per person. cost something per head (= per person ) • The meal will cost about £20 per head. not cost (somebody) a penny (= cost nothing ) • Using the Internet, you can make phone calls that don’t cost a penny. cost a fortune/cost the earth (= have a very high price ) • If you use a lawyer, it will cost you a fortune. cost a bomb/a packet British English (= have a very high price ) • He has a new sports car that must have cost a bomb. cost an arm and a leg (= have a price that is much too high ) • A skiing holiday needn’t cost you an arm and a leg.