opportunity cost
noun
: the added cost of using resources (as for production or speculative investment) that is the difference between the actual value resulting from such use and that of an alternative (such as another use of the same resources or an investment of equal risk but greater return)
Examples of opportunity cost in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is an opportunity cost associated with a team giving up the No. 1 overall pick in an NFL Draft.
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Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2025
But apart from the opportunity cost of not nominating a great performance, if Stan gets nominated for playing Donald Trump in a movie that casts Donald Trump in a bad light, guess who’s going to start interjecting his big, gross, sweaty opinions into the Oscar race?
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
Nunn also noted there's an opportunity cost associated with pulling active duty military and Guard members away from their current roles to instead implement a deportation plan.
—Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 25 Nov. 2024
In addition to the impact of taxes and inflation on CDs, there are opportunity costs involved, said Jayson Bronchetti, chief investment officer at Lincoln Financial.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for opportunity cost 
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Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2025
But apart from the opportunity cost of not nominating a great performance, if Stan gets nominated for playing Donald Trump in a movie that casts Donald Trump in a bad light, guess who’s going to start interjecting his big, gross, sweaty opinions into the Oscar race?
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
Nunn also noted there's an opportunity cost associated with pulling active duty military and Guard members away from their current roles to instead implement a deportation plan.
—Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 25 Nov. 2024
In addition to the impact of taxes and inflation on CDs, there are opportunity costs involved, said Jayson Bronchetti, chief investment officer at Lincoln Financial.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for opportunity cost
Dictionary Entries Near opportunity cost
Cite this Entry
“Opportunity cost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opportunity%20cost. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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