cost
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cost¹
- /kɒst/ Canada, Northern England, UK
- /kɔst/ Australia, British, Scotland
- /kɔst/ US
- /kɑst/ US, cot caught merger
- /kɒst/ New Zealand
- [kɔ̟st] ~ [kɞ̠st] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɒst
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English costen (verb), borrowed from Old French coster, from Medieval Latin cōstō, from Latin cōnstō, from Proto-Italic *komstaēō. By surface analysis, con- (“together”) + stō (“stand”).
verb costs · costing · cost · costed (see usage note)
- To incur a charge of; to require payment of a (specified) price. This shirt cost $50, while this was cheaper at only $30.
- To cause something to be lost; to cause the expenditure or relinquishment of. Trying to rescue the man from the burning building cost them their lives.
- To require to be borne or suffered; to cause. to do him wanton rites, which cost them woe
- To cost (a person) a great deal of money or suffering. I can give you the names, but it'll cost you.
cost²
- /kɒst/ Canada, Northern England, UK
- /kɔst/ Australia, British, Scotland
- /kɔst/ US
- /kɑst/ US, cot caught merger
- /kɒst/ New Zealand
- [kɔ̟st] ~ [kɞ̠st] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɒst
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English cost (noun), deverbal from costen (“to cost”, verb).
noun costs
- Amount of money (or time, etc.) that is required or used. The total cost of the new complex was an estimated $1.5 million.
- A negative consequence or loss that occurs or is required to occur. Spending all your time working may earn you a lot of money at the cost of your health.
cost³
- /kɒst/ Canada, Northern England, UK
- /kɔst/ Australia, British, Scotland
- /kɔst/ US
- /kɑst/ US, cot caught merger
- /kɒst/ New Zealand
- [kɔ̟st] ~ [kɞ̠st] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɒst
Where it comes from
Denominal verb from cost (“amount of money required or used”, noun).
verb costs · costing · costed
- To calculate or estimate costs (such as expenses, or a price). I costed the repair work at a few thousand.
cost⁴
- /kɒst/ Canada, Northern England, UK
- /kɔst/ Australia, British, Scotland
- /kɔst/ US
- /kɑst/ US, cot caught merger
- /kɒst/ New Zealand
- [kɔ̟st] ~ [kɞ̠st] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɒst
Where it comes from
From Middle English cost, from Old English cost (“option, choice, possibility, manner, way, condition”), from Old Norse kostr (“choice, opportunity, chance, condition, state, quality”), from Proto-Germanic *kustuz (“choice, trial”) (or Proto-Germanic *kustiz (“choice, trial”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵéwstus (“to enjoy, taste”).
Cognate with Icelandic kostur, German dialectal Kust (“taste, flavour”), Dutch kust (“choice, choosing”), North Frisian kest (“choice, estimation, virtue”), West Frisian kêst (“article of law, statute”), Old English cyst (“free-will, choice, election, the best of anything, the choicest, picked host, moral excellence, virtue, goodness, generosity, munificence”), Latin gustus (“taste”). Doublet of gusto, and related to choose.
noun costs
- Manner; way; means; available course; contrivance.
- Quality; condition; property; value; worth; a wont or habit; disposition; nature; kind; characteristic.
cost⁵
- /kɒst/ Canada, Northern England, UK
- /kɔst/ Australia, British, Scotland
- /kɔst/ US
- /kɑst/ US, cot caught merger
- /kɒst/ New Zealand
- [kɔ̟st] ~ [kɞ̠st] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɒst
Where it comes from
From Middle English coste, from Old French coste, from Latin costa. Doublet of coast and cuesta.
noun costs
- A rib; a side. betwixt the costs of a ship
- A cottise.
Cost⁶
proper noun Costs
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: price, be, toll, monetary value, charge, purchase, pay, paid, payment, dues, funding, pricing, priced, budget, spending, profitability
Translations
Every language
verb to incur a charge of; to require payment of a price of
| Español | costar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 들다 deulda |
| 日本語 | 費やす tsuiyasu, 掛かる kakaru |
| 中文 | 花費 /花费 huāfèi |
| हिन्दी | मूल्य mūlya, दाम dām, लागत lāgat |
| Kiswahili | gharimu |
| Português | custar |
| Français | coûter, couter |
| Deutsch | kosten |
| Italiano | costare |
| Ελληνικά | κοστίζω kostízo, στοιχίζω stoichízo, τιμώμαι timómai, κάνω káno |
| Română | costa, prețui |
| Русский | сто́ить stóitʹ |
| العربية | سَاوَى sāwā, كَلَّفَ kallafa, تَكَلَّفَ takallafa |
| עברית | עָלָה alá |
noun amount of money required or used
| Español | costo, gasto, costa |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 비용 biyong |
| 日本語 | 費用 hiyō |
| 中文 | 費用 /费用 fèiyòng, 成本 chéngběn, 花費 /花费 huāfèi |
| हिन्दी | दाम dām, क़ीमत qīmat, मूल्य mūlya |
| Kiswahili | gharama |
| Português | custo |
| Français | coût, frais |
| Deutsch | Kosten |
| Italiano | costo, spesa |
| Ελληνικά | κόστος kóstos, δαπάνη dapáni, τίμημα tímima, αντίτιμο antítimo |
| Română | cost |
| Русский | расхо́ды rasxódy, сто́имость stóimostʹ |
| العربية | تَكْلِفَة taklifa, كُلْفَة kulfa |
| עברית | עלות 'alut |
Talk about this word "cost." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cost. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. cost. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cost "cost." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cost.Cite this
@misc{cost_2026,
title = {cost},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cost},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
