ex·pend·able
ik-ˈspen-də-bəl 
: that may be expended: such as
a
: normally used up or consumed in service
expendable supplies like pencils and paper
b
: more easily or economically replaced than rescued, salvaged, or protected
: one that is expendable
—usually used in plural
Examples of expendable in a Sentence
Adjective
employees whose jobs are considered expendable
Recent Examples on the Web
Mike Wall, Space.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Ukraine operates a mixed fleet of drone boats, and an attacking flotilla could include low-cost expendable USVs carrying explosives, others with missiles, and others with torpedoes, while still others might be carriers with FPVs.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
Once Mickey dies, the scientists simply print another version of the expendable to take his place.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expendable
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Adjective
Its predecessors all splashed down off Florida, but SpaceX is now shifting returns to the West Coast to minimize the chance that chunks of Crew Dragon's expendable trunk could damage property or hurt people during reentry.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Ukraine operates a mixed fleet of drone boats, and an attacking flotilla could include low-cost expendable USVs carrying explosives, others with missiles, and others with torpedoes, while still others might be carriers with FPVs.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
One expendable named Mickey (Robert Pattinson) is part of a mission to colonize a distant planet, under the authority of a sleazily predatory and demagogic politician, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo).
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
Once Mickey dies, the scientists simply print another version of the expendable to take his place.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expendable
Cite this Entry
“Expendable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expendable. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
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