incidental expense
- noun
- /ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl ɪkˈspɛns/
:
gasto incidental
- He was surprised by the incidental expenses that arose during the event, such as extra supplies and refreshments.
Examples
-
The budget included only major costs, so I had to cover the incidental expenses out of my own pocket.
-
Except, of course, for incidental expenses your insurance plan doesn't cover.
Fiction book (1998) -
She knows she is a lucky girl, and she has had a part-time job all this school year to help fund her incidental expenses.
Blog text (4) -
The Historic Peace Churches paid for the maintenance of the camps and gave each camper fifteen dollars per month for incidental expenses.
Academic text (1992) -
During the trip, we had to pay for several incidental expenses, like snacks and parking fees.
Synonyms
7
5.8
An unplanned small cost for things like tips or snacks
1
3.0
A small amount of money spent on everyday work items like parking or snacks
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a minor or unexpected cost' is directly and transparently built from 'incidental' (secondary/minor) + 'expense' (cost), so a learner who knows both words can infer the phrase meaning. This adjective+noun composition is a common, predictable pattern cross-linguistically, making it accessible to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
The noun incidental expense comes from the idea of something happening 'on the side'. Imagine you travel and pay for small things like parking, a quick coffee or internet—these are incidental costs, small expenses you did not plan. That's why the phrase means 'a small or unexpected cost'.