costs
costs — noun
1. the money you must pay for something, or the total amount needed to do it
the money you must pay for something, or the total amount needed to do it
The repair costs for Mika's bike were higher than the bike itself.
repair costs / costs for + noun
Hotel costs rise sharply in August when the island fills with tourists.
We checked the flight costs online before choosing a cheaper route.
School lunch costs stayed low after the city expanded its subsidy.
文法句型
the costs of something
travel / repair / school costs
用法筆記
Often used in the plural when a trip, service, or activity has several parts to pay for. Use price more often for one item in a shop.
2. the money a business, service, or piece of work needs in order to run or be comp
the money a business, service, or piece of work needs in order to run or be completed
Rising fuel costs forced the factory to delay its delivery plan.
fuel costs
The builder listed labour costs separately from the price of materials.
labour costs
Software costs can sink a small company before sales even begin.
Diya reviewed the training costs before opening a second branch.
文法句型
cut costs
labour / training / software costs
用法筆記
Usually appears with business, project, or department nouns and verbs such as cut, reduce, and control. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 focuses on running or production money, not the amount a customer pays.
3. the sacrifice, strain, or loss someone accepts in order to achieve something
the sacrifice, strain, or loss someone accepts in order to achieve something
The long trial brought emotional costs that the family still feels.
emotional costs
Political victory can carry hidden costs for a leader's private life.
hidden costs
The job's travel demands create real costs for parents of young children.
Femi accepted the move, but the social costs worried him.
文法句型
the costs of something
at a personal / human cost
用法筆記
Common with adjectives like personal, human, emotional, and social. Distinguish from senses 1 and 2: this sense is about what people give up, not about money.
4. the lawyers' and court expenses connected with a case
the lawyers' and court expenses connected with a case
The judge ordered both sides to pay their own legal costs.
pay legal costs
If the claim fails, the company may face heavy court costs.
court costs
Nora asked whether appeal costs were covered by her insurance.
Settlement talks began when lawsuit costs started to climb.
- legal fees
focuses more on payments to lawyers than on the whole court process
- litigation expenses
a formal phrase for the money spent during a lawsuit
文法句型
pay costs
legal / court / appeal costs
用法筆記
Used in legal language for the money spent on a court case. Often appears with verbs like award, pay, recover, and with modifiers such as legal, court, or appeal.
costs — verb
1. to be sold for a particular amount, or to need that amount of money to buy or do
to be sold for a particular amount, or to need that amount of money to buy or do
A one-day rail pass costs thirty dollars at the station.
cost + amount
Private lessons cost more after the music school moved downtown.
cost more
The new roof costs less if the neighbors order one together.
Streaming the match legally costs just five dollars this weekend.
- be priced at
more formal and used mainly for stated prices
- run to
often used when the final amount is surprisingly high
文法句型
cost + amount
cost more / less
用法筆記
Subject is usually a thing, service, or activity, and the amount often follows directly. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 is about money, not about effort or pain.
常見錯誤
2. to demand time, effort, pain, or other loss before something can happen
to demand time, effort, pain, or other loss before something can happen
Training for the marathon costs months of early mornings and sore legs.
cost + time / effort
Keeping the farm alive costs constant repairs after each storm.
Starting from zero often costs patience before any progress appears.
Winning public trust costs years of careful work after a scandal.
文法句型
cost + time / energy / courage
cost + years of work
用法筆記
Object is usually time, energy, sleep, courage, or lives. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense names what the action requires, not the person who loses it.
3. to make someone pay money or lose something valuable because of an action or eve
to make someone pay money or lose something valuable because of an action or event
One typing mistake cost Sahil the contract with the hotel chain.
cost + person + thing lost
The late checkout cost Camila an extra day of parking fees.
Poor lighting costs drivers precious seconds in heavy rain.
That careless joke could cost the team its best volunteer.
- deprive
more formal and usually takes someone of something
- make someone pay
stresses punishment or a painful result
文法句型
cost + person + money / time / chance
cost + organization + client / contract
用法筆記
Pattern is usually cost + person or organization + thing lost. The lost thing can be money, time, a chance, a client, or a job.
常見錯誤
4. to work out how much money a plan, job, or object will require
to work out how much money a plan, job, or object will require
The builder costs each kitchen plan before the client picks the tiles.
cost + project before quoting
Minh costs the steel and transport separately before writing the quote.
cost materials separately
Our planner costs the wedding menu before we book the hall.
The farm manager costs every repair job before asking for a loan.
文法句型
cost + project / plan / repair
cost + materials separately
用法筆記
A specialist business and building use. It refers to calculating a likely price before money is spent, not to the price the customer finally pays.