at the expense of
idiom
: in a way that harms (something or someone)
Malls flourished at the expense of small stores downtown.
He argues that the tax cut will benefit the rich at the expense of the poor.
Examples of at the expense of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Most employees would fear losing their chance to be reimbursed, even at the expense of delaying activities linked to their primary job.
—
Rohan Joshi, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Chicago Cubs rookie Cade Horton twirled another gem on Tuesday night – this time, at the expense of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
That should be the job of government, not increasing developers’ returns at the expense of people already here.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 17 Sep. 2025
This has all been done at the expense of Democratic politicians and the minority groups many of them represent in Congress thanks to districts that Republicans have drawn for themselves from Texas to Florida and from West Virginia to the Dakotas.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the expense of
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Rohan Joshi, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Chicago Cubs rookie Cade Horton twirled another gem on Tuesday night – this time, at the expense of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
That should be the job of government, not increasing developers’ returns at the expense of people already here.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 17 Sep. 2025
This has all been done at the expense of Democratic politicians and the minority groups many of them represent in Congress thanks to districts that Republicans have drawn for themselves from Texas to Florida and from West Virginia to the Dakotas.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the expense of
Cite this Entry
“At the expense of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20expense%20of. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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