Past Tense of Cost | Meaning, Definition & Examples
Cost is a verb that refers to the amount of money that goods or services are priced at (e.g., “The meal cost more than he had expected”). The simple past and past participle are both cost because it is an irregular verb that doesn’t follow the pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tenses.
In British English, there is another meaning of cost, “provide a financial estimate,” which is a regular verb, so the past tense and past participle are costed (e.g., “I costed that job yesterday”).
Cost is also a noun that means “the price of something” (e.g., “She knew the cost of business in the city”).
| Cost as simple past | Cost as past participle |
|---|---|
| The new camera cost less than the one it replaced.
The insurance on my first car cost more than the car itself. |
Although it had cost $20, it was the best burger he’d ever had!
They canceled the holiday because it would have cost too much in the end. |
Past tense of cost
Cost doesn’t change its spelling for the past tense and past participle when it is used as a stative verb with the meaning “to be priced at.”
Cost can also be used idiomatically to refer to a price that isn’t monetary (e.g., “He was successful, but it cost him his social life, which was ruined.”).
What the food cost last year was no indication of its current price.
Pursuing justice had cost her everything—her house, her job, and her marriage.
Costed as the past tense
A less common use of cost is as an action verb meaning “provide an estimate of the price” of something. In this case, both the past tense and the past participle are costed. Sometimes it is used as the phrasal verb “cost out” (e.g., “The business plan costed out the impact of increased tariffs”).
If he had costed the project more carefully, they would not have lost money on it.
Elise sat for hours and costed out her expansion plans on the spreadsheet.
Frequently asked questions about the past tense of cost
- Is costed a word?
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In British English, costed is the past tense of the verb “cost” meaning “give an estimate of the price of work or a project” (e.g., “The project was fully costed”). It is incorrect to use it when the verb means “to be priced at.”
- That must have costed a fortune!
- That must have cost a fortune!
- Have you costed the new-build project?
You can use the Quillbot Grammar Checker to make sure your spelling and grammar are correct.
- Is it costed or cost?
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The verb “cost” has two different past tense forms, depending on the meaning being used. The more common meaning, referring to the price that is paid for goods or services, is an irregular verb. The spelling remains the same as the infinitive—cost (e.g., “Andy was delighted that the watch repair had cost less than he feared”).
A less common meaning of “cost,” typically used only in British English, is “to give an estimate of price for work or a project.” When used in this way, it is a regular verb that adds “-ed” for the past tense and past participle (e.g., “Thankfully, the project had been carefully costed to cover exchange-rate fluctuations”).
The Quillbot Grammar Checker can help you make sure your spelling and grammar are correct.
- What does cost an arm and a leg mean?
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Cost an arm and a leg is an idiom that means something is extraordinarily expensive. The implication is that it costs more than money can buy. Other idioms with the verb cost that indicate an excessive price include:
- Cost a bomb (British English)
- Cost a pretty penny
- Cost the earth
- Cost a king’s ransom
- Cost a packet (British English)
