Meanings
present singular third person spares no expense · participle present sparing no expense · participle past spared no expense · past spared no expense
- To be willing to pay as much as necessary to achieve an objective.
The railways are fully alive to the position, and are sparing neither effort nor expense to provide more attractive trains and to effect economies, but in such circumstances some curtailment of services is inevitable.
1958 May 29, “Railway Difficulties in the U.S.A.”, in Railway Magazine, page 2961 more example
From 1860, the steamer service between Kingstown and Holyhead was operated by the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, which never spared expense in providing up-to-date vessels, and in meeting a portion of the cost of improvements to Carlisle Pier.
1960 May 29, K. A. Murray, “Carlisle Pier, Dun Laoghaire”, in Railway Magazine, page 303
Translations
Finnish maksoi mitä maksoi
- maksoi mitä maksoido everything within one's powers to achieve something
French se mettre en frais
- se mettre en fraisdo everything within one's powers to achieve something
German keine Kosten scheuen
- keine Kosten scheuendo everything within one's powers to achieve something
Italian non badare a spese
- non badare a spesedo everything within one's powers to achieve something
Polish nie oszczędzać, nie oszczędzić
- nie oszczędzaćdo everything within one's powers to achieve something
- nie oszczędzićdo everything within one's powers to achieve something
Cite this entry
spare no expense. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spare%20no%20expense
“spare no expense.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spare%20no%20expense. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spare no expense,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spare%20no%20expense.
Source: spare no expense on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.