indirect cost

noun

: a cost that is not identifiable with a specific product, function, or activity

Examples of indirect cost in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The indirect costs of doing research are real and substantial. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Feb. 2025 The Gates Foundation, for example, pays a 10% rate for indirect costs, while the Carnegie Corporation and John Templeton Foundation each pay 15% of indirect costs for research. Katherine Dillinger, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025 The total cost estimates for medication nonadherence range from $100 billion to $300 billion every year, when both direct and indirect costs are included. John C. Goodman, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024 Some funding sources, such as the Department of Agriculture, tend to pay lower rates, with perhaps a 30 percent premium going to indirect costs. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for indirect cost 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of indirect cost was circa 1909

Dictionary Entries Near indirect cost

Cite this Entry

“Indirect cost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indirect%20cost. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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