costs
costs — 名詞
1. the money you must pay for something, or the total amount needed to do it
費用
購買或做某事要付的金額
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.
Mika 那台腳踏車的修理費用比車子本身還高。
repair costs / costs for + noun
Hotel costs rise sharply in August when the island fills with tourists.
八月島上擠滿觀光客時，旅館費用會明顯上升。
We checked the flight costs online before choosing a cheaper route.
我們先上網查了機票費用，才選了比較便宜的路線。
School lunch costs stayed low after the city expanded its subsidy.
市府擴大補助後，學校午餐費用一直維持在較低水準。
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
成本
經營業務或完成工作所需花費
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.
燃料成本上升，迫使工廠延後原本的交貨計畫。
fuel costs
The builder listed labour costs separately from the price of materials.
那位建商把人工成本和材料價格分開列出。
labour costs
Software costs can sink a small company before sales even begin.
軟體成本可能在公司開始有銷售前就把小公司拖垮。
Diya reviewed the training costs before opening a second branch.
Diya 在開第二家分店前先檢查了培訓成本。
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
代價
為得到某事付出的犧牲或損失
the sacrifice, strain, or loss someone accepts in order to achieve something
The long trial brought emotional costs that the family still feels.
那場漫長的審判帶來情感代價，家人到現在仍感受得到。
emotional costs
Political victory can carry hidden costs for a leader's private life.
政治上的勝利可能為領袖的私人生活帶來隱藏代價。
hidden costs
The job's travel demands create real costs for parents of young children.
這份工作頻繁出差的要求，讓有年幼孩子的父母付出真實代價。
Femi accepted the move, but the social costs worried him.
Femi 接受了這次搬遷，但那些社會代價讓他很擔心。
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
訴訟費
法院案件中產生的法律費用
the lawyers' and court expenses connected with a case
The judge ordered both sides to pay their own legal costs.
法官命令雙方各自支付自己的訴訟費。
pay legal costs
If the claim fails, the company may face heavy court costs.
如果這項主張敗訴，公司可能得負擔高額訴訟費。
court costs
Nora asked whether appeal costs were covered by her insurance.
Nora 問上訴產生的訴訟費是否由她的保險支付。
Settlement talks began when lawsuit costs started to climb.
當訴訟費開始攀升時，和解談判就展開了。
- 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 — 動詞
1. to be sold for a particular amount, or to need that amount of money to buy or do
要價；花費
售價是某金額；需要付費
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.
車站賣的一日鐵路通行證要價三十美元。
cost + amount
Private lessons cost more after the music school moved downtown.
音樂學校搬到市中心後，私人課程花費更多。
cost more
The new roof costs less if the neighbors order one together.
如果鄰居一起下單，這個新屋頂花費會更少。
Streaming the match legally costs just five dollars this weekend.
這個週末合法收看那場比賽只要花五美元。
- 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
得付出
必須付出努力、痛苦或損失
to demand time, effort, pain, or other loss before something can happen
Training for the marathon costs months of early mornings and sore legs.
為馬拉松訓練得付出好幾個月早起與雙腿痠痛的代價。
cost + time / effort
Keeping the farm alive costs constant repairs after each storm.
要讓農場撐下去，每次暴風雨後都得付出修繕的心力。
Starting from zero often costs patience before any progress appears.
從零開始往往得付出耐心，進展才會出現。
Winning public trust costs years of careful work after a scandal.
在醜聞後重新贏回大眾信任，得付出多年的細心努力。
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
使失去
讓某人付錢或失去某物
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.
一個打字錯誤使 Sahil 失去了那家連鎖飯店的合約。
cost + person + thing lost
The late checkout cost Camila an extra day of parking fees.
延後退房使 Camila 多付了一天的停車費。
Poor lighting costs drivers precious seconds in heavy rain.
昏暗的照明會使駕駛在大雨中失去寶貴的幾秒鐘。
That careless joke could cost the team its best volunteer.
那句粗心的玩笑話可能使團隊失去最好的志工。
- 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
估價
估算某件事需要多少錢
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.
那位建商會先替每個廚房方案估價，客戶才挑磁磚。
cost + project before quoting
Minh costs the steel and transport separately before writing the quote.
Minh 在寫報價前，會先把鋼材和運輸分開估價。
cost materials separately
Our planner costs the wedding menu before we book the hall.
我們的規畫人員會先替婚宴菜單估價，再預訂宴會廳。
The farm manager costs every repair job before asking for a loan.
那位農場經理會先替每一項修理工作估價，再去申請貸款。
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.