costs

6.8

Money a judge orders the losing side to pay the winning side for legal work

noun
/kɔsts/

Specialized

: costas

The judge ordered the losing party to pay all costs of the proceedings.

Examples

The court ordered the defendant to pay legal costs.
He incurred significant costs during the trial.
Her lawyer filed a motion to recover legal costs after she won the case.
If you win the lawsuit, you may be entitled to costs as part of the judgment.
If you win the lawsuit, you may be entitled to costs as part of the judgment.
Her lawyer filed a motion to recover legal costs after she won the case.
The judge ordered the losing party to pay all costs of the proceedings.

Idioms

at all costs

62 3.7

To do whatever is necessary, even if it is risky

to weigh the costs against the benefits

4.1

Carefully compare the good and bad points before you decide

Compounds

fixed costs

Specialized

1 2.9

Costs a business has to pay that do not change if production changes, like rent or insurance

Surface Forms

cost singular

costs plural

Morphology

costs = cost (transparent) = cost + s

Regular plural formation from the noun 'cost'; the meaning ('legal expenses') is a straightforward plural of 'cost'.

Etymology

Costs comes from an old word that meant 'to stand' or 'be fixed', the same root behind the English word constant and the Spanish verb 'costar'. So costs today means the money that must be paid, for example the amount a court can order one side to pay the other.