cost

UK /ˈkɒst/ US /ˈkɔst/
noun 6verb 5name 1

Collocations

64
1

(noun.) money needed to buy sth

ADJ

considerable, enormous, great, high, huge, prohibitive

Renovating the old house turned out to be an enormous cost that we hadn't anticipated.

low | escalating, rising | basic

full, overall, total

The total cost of our family vacation came to more than we had budgeted for.

additional, extra

Buying travel insurance meant paying an additional cost, but it was worth the peace of mind.

average

A new car has an average cost of around $30,000 these days.

gross, net | estimated | budgeted | likely, potential | real | annual, monthly, etc.

replacement

If your phone breaks, the replacement cost might be more than buying a new one.

capital, start-up

When opening a restaurant, entrepreneurs must save money for start-up costs like equipment and permits.

marginal

The factory manager calculated that adding one more worker would increase the marginal cost significantly.

unit

The factory reduced its unit cost by switching to a cheaper supplier.

fixed, variable

The airline's variable costs increased significantly when fuel prices rose last year.

direct, indirect

VERB + COST

bear, cover, meet, pay

The company agreed to pay the cost of repairing the damaged equipment.

increase, push up

Higher interest rates have increased the cost of borrowing money for most families.

bring down, cut, lower, reduce | keep down

estimate, put

We estimated the cost of the project at around fifty thousand dollars.

calculate, work out | reimburse

COST + VERB

escalate, go up, increase, rise

Housing prices have risen significantly over the past five years in our city.

fall, go down

COST + NOUN

reduction, savings

The company announced plans to achieve significant cost savings by closing two factories.

overrun

The government had to budget extra money because of cost overruns during the building project.

base

The company reduced its cost base by closing three factories and moving operations overseas.

PREP

at a ~ of

They renovated the entire kitchen at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars.

~ to

Repairing the old bridge will be expensive, but the cost to taxpayers is worth it for safety.

PHRASES

an increase/a reduction in cost, at no extra cost

The new software came with free training at no extra cost to our company.

cost of living

Many young people struggle to afford rent because the cost of living keeps increasing.

2

(noun.) costs: money needed to run a business/home, etc.

ADJ

considerable, enormous, great, high, huge | low

escalating, rising

The company struggled to keep up with escalating costs for materials and labor.

administration/administrative, fuel, labour, operating, production, (research and) development, running, transport, travel

VERB + COST

incur

We incurred significant costs when we renovated the old house last year.

pay | increase

bring down, cut, lower, reduce

The factory reduced costs by switching to cheaper materials.

keep down

The restaurant managed to keep costs down by buying ingredients directly from local farmers.

cover

The ticket prices should cover the costs of running the community center.

COST + VERB

be associated, be involved

There are significant costs involved in renovating an old house.

escalate, rise

3

(noun.) effort/loss/damage to achieve sth

ADJ

considerable, enormous, great, heavy, huge

Winning the championship required enormous cost in time and money from the team.

dreadful, terrible

The dreadful cost of repairing the old house forced them to sell it.

real

environmental, financial, human, personal, political, social

The financial cost of sending children to private school is too high for most families.

VERB + COST

outweigh

The advantages of moving to a bigger house don't outweigh the costs.

count

The company is now counting the cost of the poor decision to close its factories.

PREP

at (a) ~ (to)

She achieved her dream of becoming a doctor, but at considerable cost to her family life.

at the ~ of

He achieved great success, but at the cost of spending very little time with his family.

~ in

Winning the championship came at a great cost in hard work and sacrifice.

PHRASES

at all costs/at any cost

She wanted to protect her children at all costs, even if it meant working two jobs.

to your cost

She learned the importance of reading contracts carefully to her cost when she signed the bad deal.

4

(noun.) costs: in a court case

ADJ

legal

VERB + COST

incur

The company incurred significant costs when it had to replace all the damaged equipment after the fire.

pay

She paid a high cost for missing the deadline at work.

be awarded

When the defendant lost the case, they were awarded costs to cover the plaintiff's legal fees.

5

(verb.)

ADV

fully, properly

The new building renovation was fully costed before construction began.

PREP

at

The new office renovation was estimated at around $50,000.

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