cover expenses — pay costs
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to have enough money to pay for the things you need or the costs of something.
Say it like a native
Textbook The grant is sufficient to defray my expenditures.
Native The grant covers my expenses.
'Defray expenditures' is archaic/formal; 'cover expenses' is the natural phrase.
Pattern: cover expenses (of something/doing something)
In use
- Her part-time job helps her cover her living expenses while she studies at university.money
- In my opinion, scholarships are important because they help students cover their tuition and living expenses, making education more accessible.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The budget covers for all expenses.
✓ The budget covers all expenses.
'Cover expenses' — no 'for' (that's 'cover for someone').
Common collocations
cover expenses— travel, living, all your, monthly
Don't confuse it
Different from 'save money', which means to keep money for future use, not to pay costs.