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
Now, a lot of the discussion has implicit the assumption that diversity can only be advanced at the expense of excellence.
—
Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
Just as Natalia was starting her journalism career, the executives who controlled the industry were working to reinvent how daily newspapers operated — at the expense of an almost unfathomable number of journalists.
—Megan Greenwell, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
Like all the great comic actors, Sheryl Lee Ralph will do just about anything for a laugh… even at the expense of her health.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 4 June 2025
But many in mine country fear that Trump – who won 70 percent of West Virginia’s vote in 2024, with equally strong support among the mining regions across Appalachia – is boosting the coal industry at the expense of the miners who actually carry out the dirty, dangerous work.
—Bob Ortega, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the expense of
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Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
Just as Natalia was starting her journalism career, the executives who controlled the industry were working to reinvent how daily newspapers operated — at the expense of an almost unfathomable number of journalists.
—Megan Greenwell, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
Like all the great comic actors, Sheryl Lee Ralph will do just about anything for a laugh… even at the expense of her health.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 4 June 2025
But many in mine country fear that Trump – who won 70 percent of West Virginia’s vote in 2024, with equally strong support among the mining regions across Appalachia – is boosting the coal industry at the expense of the miners who actually carry out the dirty, dangerous work.
—Bob Ortega, CNN Money, 4 June 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 10 Jun. 2025.
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