at a cost

idiom

: by giving up something else
He had achieved fame, but at a cost; he'd lost many friends and no longer talked to anyone in his family.

Examples of at a cost in a Sentence

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Due to the number of YouTubers, TikTokers, thrill-seekers and other tourists sneaking on the picturesque yet off-limits beauty spot, authorities made the decision to dismantle the steps, at a cost of $2.5 million. Cnn, The Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2024 Image He gets fixated on both the mechanics and the design process of the military systems his teams are building at a cost of billions of dollars. Eric Lipton, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024 That can reduce a fighter’s radar signature—but at a cost. David Axe, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024 For example, Trump’s former top Latin America aide, Mauricio Claver-Carone, recently proposed applying a 60 percent tariff on any imports to the United States that have passed through Peru’s massive new port of Chancay, which was built by China at a cost of $1.3 billion. Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for at a cost 

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“At a cost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20a%20cost. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

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