Skip to main content
direct cost

direct cost

2 3.4
A cost you can put on a single project, like materials or wages
  • noun
  • /dəˈrɛkt kɔst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : costo directo
  • Charges submitted to Medicare for direct costs and resource use associated with hypothermia- and hyperthermia-related visits for the study period totaled $134 million.
  • direct costs of natural resource

Will it be less expensive not just for direct cost, but the externalized cost of the environmental impact?

Examples

  • And when you include the direct cost, what does it take to treat patients as well as the indirect costs?

  • The costs of complying with these regulations are a direct cost to businesses.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Careful, good studies have been made and the direct costs are not high.

  • Beyond the direct costs of injury and loss of life.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Protection against the crimes associated with drug trafficking is the largest direct cost found in this study.

    Academic text (1990)
  • There are some data that allow us to derive the direct costs of the disease (positive costs).

    Academic text (1994)
  • A physician evaluating a specific patient must assess whether the benefits from a drug outweigh both its direct costs and the potential complications and side effects for the patient.

    Academic text (2016)
  • The factory operator calculated the direct cost of raw materials needed for the new product.

  • In the budget report, the accountant highlighted the direct costs associated with each project phase.

  • Understanding the direct costs helps management make informed decisions about pricing and profitability.

Synonyms

cost
vsdirect cost
749 1.0

The effort, loss, or price you must pay to get something

is limited to amounts that can be linked to one project or product
expense
vsdirect cost
239 3.5

A loss of something important because of another choice

is about amounts that can be traced to a single project or product
production cost
vsdirect cost
  • Specialized
13 3.1

Money a company spends on materials and work to make goods

is assigned to a particular project or product rather than total manufacturing

Surface Forms

direct cost singular
direct costs plural

Morphology

direct + cost

The meaning 'a cost that can be directly attributed to a specific project or product' is transparently derived from 'direct' (immediate, without intermediary) modifying 'cost' (monetary amount). This adjective+noun composition is a regular compositional pattern and has clear parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Direct cost comes from the simple image of a cost that points straight to one product or project, like an arrow showing where the money goes. That's why a direct cost is a cost you can clearly 'assign' to one job, such as raw materials or wages.