"on the expense of" vs "at the expense of"

Question

"on the expense of" vs "at the expense of"

Both "at the expense of" and "on the expense of" are commonly used phrases in English, but they have different meanings and contexts. "At the expense of" is the correct and more widely used phrase to indicate that something is achieved or gained by sacrificing something else. On the other hand, "on the expense of" is not a standard English phrase and is not used in this context.

Last Updated: March 30, 2024

The phrase "on the expense of" is not used in English. Instead, use "at the expense of" to indicate that something is achieved or gained by sacrificing something else.

Alternatives:

at the expense of

"At the expense of" is a common English phrase used to show that one thing is achieved by sacrificing another. It is often used in discussions about trade-offs or consequences.

Examples:

She succeeded at the expense of her personal life.
The company grew rapidly, but at the expense of quality.
He achieved his goals at the expense of his health.
The team won the championship at the expense of their social lives.
The project was completed at the expense of exceeding the budget.

Answer 1

on the expense of

This phrase is not a standard English construction. The correct phrase is "at the expense of."

Answer 2

at the expense of

This is the correct phrase to use when indicating that something is achieved or gained by sacrificing something else.

"on the expense of" vs "at the expense of"

on the expense of

at the expense of

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