Expense vs Expenditure
There is some difference between expense and expenditure when it comes to their meanings and connotations. However, these two words are often confused. The aim of this article is to remove that confusion from your mind and make you understand the difference between expense and expenditure clearly with the aid of examples. Now, before delving into the difference between expense and expenditure, let us first have a look at the two words, expense and expenditure. Expense is used as a noun as well as a verb. On the contrary, expenditure is only used as a noun. Then, the origin of the word expenditure lies in the mid 18th century while the origin of the word expense lies in the Late Middle English.
What does Expense mean?
The word expense is used in the sense of ‘price’ as in the sentence given below.
The expenses determine the budget of the household.
In the sentence mentioned above, from the word expense you get the meaning that the ‘prices’ associated with various household items determine the budget of the household. It is interesting to note that the word expense is used as a noun. It has its adjectival form in the word expensive. It is interesting to note that the word expense is often followed by the preposition ‘of’ as in the sentence given below.
He earned money at the expense of his sister’s innocence.
In this case, the expression or the phrase ‘at the expense of’ is used in the sense of ‘at the cost of’ or ‘by making use of’. The meaning is understood as ‘he made money by using his sister’s innocence’.
What does Expenditure mean?
On the other hand, the word expenditure conveys the sense of ‘various expenses or costs involved in the running of a company or a firm or in the conduct of an event’ as in the sentences given below:
The expenditure involved in the conduct of the function was high.
It involves a heavy expenditure.
In the first sentence, you can see that the word expenditure gives the meaning of the ‘costs involved in the conduct of a function’. In the second sentence, you can see that the word expenditure gives the meaning of the ‘costs involved in the running of a business or the execution of some work’.
What is the difference between Expense and Expenditure?
• The word expense is used in the sense of ‘price.’
• The word expense has its adjectival form in the word expensive.
• On the other hand, the word expenditure conveys the sense of ‘various expenses or costs involved in the running of a company or a firm or the conduct of an event.’ This is the major difference between the two words, namely, expense and expenditure.
• The word expense is often followed by the preposition ‘of.’
• The expression or the phrase ‘at the expense of’ is used in the sense of ‘at the cost of’ or ‘by making use of’.
Key Takeaways
- Expense is used as a noun and a verb, while expenditure is only used as a noun.
- Expense refers to the price of something, while expenditure refers to various expenses or costs involved in running a company, firm, or conducting an event.
- The expression “at the expense of” means “at the cost of” or “by making use of.”
