indirect cost

noun

: a cost that is not identifiable with a specific product, function, or activity

Examples of indirect cost in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Current and former health officials previously told CBS News they were shocked by the change, and stressed federal authorities already carefully scrutinize and negotiate down how much funding goes to indirect costs. CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025 However, this is an apples-to-oranges comparison — foundation indirect cost rates follow a different, more expansive framework with respect to how direct and indirect costs are defined. Pete Schultz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025 So currently each grant’s amount of indirect costs is negotiated with NIH, some of them small while others reaching 50% or more of the total grant. Lauran Neergaard and Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025 However, nonprofit research can budget lower indirect costs because they are calculated differently. Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for indirect cost

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of indirect cost was circa 1909

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Cite this Entry

“Indirect cost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indirect%20cost. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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