Is budget a noun or a verb?

It is both. As a noun, it means a money plan. As a verb, it means to plan spending carefully.

What is the difference between budget and cost?

Cost is the amount something costs. Budget is the amount you plan to spend.

Is budget formal or informal?

It is common in everyday English and business English. It is neutral, not slang.

How do I use budget in a sentence?

You can say, 'We have a small budget' or 'We need to budget carefully.'

← Dictionary

budget

/ˈbʌdʒ.ɪt/

IELTSAcademic

noun

An amount of money planned for a person, company, or project. It shows how much can be spent.

We set a budget for the trip.
Her monthly budget is very tight.

verb

To plan how to spend money carefully. It can also mean to allow only a small amount of money for something.

We need to budget for rent and food.
The school budgeted less for repairs this year.

Adinary Nuance

Budget is not the money itself. It is the plan for spending money. Use budget when you want to show limits and careful control, not just cost or price. Compared with expenses or cost, it focuses on planning ahead.

In other languages

Vietnamese: Ngân sách
Spanish: Presupuesto
Chinese: 预算
Japanese: 予算
Korean: 예산

Etymology

Budget came into English in the 1400s from Old French budget, meaning a bag or pouch. Later, it came to mean a plan for money kept in that bag.

Common phrases

on a budgetbudget cutsbudget-friendlybudget airline

Synonyms

allowance spending plan financial plan

Related words

expense cost income savings estimate

Frequently asked questions

Is budget a noun or a verb?: It is both. As a noun, it means a money plan. As a verb, it means to plan spending carefully.
What is the difference between budget and cost?: Cost is the amount something costs. Budget is the amount you plan to spend.
Is budget formal or informal?: It is common in everyday English and business English. It is neutral, not slang.
How do I use budget in a sentence?: You can say, 'We have a small budget' or 'We need to budget carefully.'