budget
noun /ˈbʌdʒɪt/
/ˈbʌdʒɪt/
- [countable, uncountable] the money that is available to a person or an organization and a plan of how it will be spent over a period of time
- an annual budget of £10 million
- a balanced budget (= one where the amount spend matches the amount available)
- Many families struggle to balance the household budget.
- to cut/slash a budget
- the education/defence budget (= the amount of money that can be spent on this)
- an advertising budget of $2 million
- It's one of those big-budget Hollywood movies.
- on a budget We decorated the house on a tight budget (= without much money to spend).
- on/within budget The work was finished on time and within budget (= did not cost more money than was planned).
- over budget They went over budget (= spent too much money).
- under/below budget The project came in under budget.
- in the budget Is there any money left in the budget?
- The hospital now faces severe budget cuts.
- a budget surplus/shortfall (= when there is more/less money than is needed)
Collocations BusinessBusinessRunning a business- buy/acquire/own/sell a company/firm/franchise
- set up/establish/start/start up/launch a business/company
- run/operate a business/company/franchise
- head/run a firm/department/team
- make/secure/win/block a deal
- expand/grow/build the business
- boost/increase investment/spending/sales/turnover/earnings/exports/trade
- increase/expand production/output/sales
- boost/maximize production/productivity/efficiency/income/revenue/profit/profitability
- achieve/maintain/sustain growth/profitability
- cut/reduce/bring down/lower/slash costs/prices
- announce/impose/make cuts/cutbacks
- break into/enter/capture/dominate the market
- gain/grab/take/win/boost/lose market share
- find/build/create a market for something
- start/launch an advertising/a marketing campaign
- develop/launch/promote a product/website
- create/generate demand for your product
- attract/get/retain/help customers/clients
- drive/generate/boost/increase demand/sales
- beat/keep ahead of/out-think/outperform the competition
- meet/reach/exceed/miss sales targets
- draw up/set/present/agree/approve a budget
- keep to/balance/cut/reduce/slash the budget
- be/come in below/under/over/within budget
- generate income/revenue/profit/funds/business
- fund/finance a campaign/a venture/an expansion/spending/a deficit
- provide/raise/allocate capital/funds
- attract/encourage investment/investors
- recover/recoup costs/losses/an investment
- get/obtain/offer somebody/grant somebody credit/a loan
- apply for/raise/secure/arrange/provide finance
- lose business/trade/customers/sales/revenue
- accumulate/accrue/incur/run up debts
- suffer/sustain enormous/heavy/serious losses
- face cuts/a deficit/redundancy/bankruptcy
- file for/ (North American English) enter/avoid/escape bankruptcy
- (British English) go into administration/liquidation
- liquidate/wind up a company
- survive/weather a recession/downturn
- propose/seek/block/oppose a merger
- launch/make/accept/defeat a takeover bid
Collocations FinanceFinanceIncome- earn money/cash/(informal) a fortune/the minimum wage/a living wage
- make money/a fortune/(informal) a killing on the stock market
- acquire/inherit/amass wealth/a fortune
- build up funds/savings
- get/receive/leave (somebody) an inheritance/a legacy
- live on a low wage/a fixed income/a pension
- get/receive/draw/collect a pension
- depend/be dependent on (British English) benefits/(North American English) welfare/social security
- spend money/your savings/(informal) a fortune on…
- invest/put your savings in…
- throw away/waste/ (informal) shell out money on…
- lose your money/inheritance/pension
- use up/ (informal) wipe out all your savings
- pay (in) cash
- use/pay by a credit/debit/contactless card
- pay by/make out a/write somebody a/accept a (British English) cheque/(US English) check
- change/exchange money/currency
- give/pay/leave (somebody) a deposit
- have/hold/open/close/freeze a bank account/an account
- credit/debit/pay something into/take money out of your account
- deposit money/funds in your account
- withdraw money/cash/£30 from an ATM, etc.
- (formal) make a deposit/withdrawal
- find/go to/use (especially North American English) an ATM/(British English) a cash machine/dispenser
- be in credit/in debit/in the black/in the red/overdrawn
- use a mobile/an online banking app/platform/service
- manage/handle/plan/run/ (especially British English) sort out your finances
- plan/manage/work out/stick to a budget
- offer/extend credit (to somebody)
- arrange/take out a loan/an overdraft
- pay back/repay money/a loan/a debt
- pay for something in (especially British English) instalments/(North American English usually) installments
- get into debt/financial difficulties
- be short of/ (informal) be strapped for cash
- run out of/owe money
- face/get/ (informal) be landed with a bill for £…
- can’t afford the cost of…/payments/rent
- fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the mortgage/repayments/rent
- incur/run up/accumulate debts
- tackle/reduce/settle your debts
Extra ExamplesTopics Politicsb2, Moneyb2- All his projects are on time and on budget.
- Costs have been held below budget.
- The project is now well over budget.
- The company must not go over budget.
- The IT department manages its own budget.
- The organization has a large annual budget.
- The budget for next year has not yet been set.
- The city has drawn up its budget for next year.
- Work out a weekly budget and stick to it.
- They spent their entire budget on a new kitchen.
- The school has a struggle to balance its budget.
- The museum's operating budget for 2020 is just over $2 million.
- This hotel caters for people on a tight budget.
- The film was was made on a shoestring budget.
- The government is planning to double the education budget.
- The museum has an annual budget of £3 million with which to acquire new works of art.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fixed
- limited
- low
- …
- get
- have
- allocate
- …
- expenditure
- deficit
- shortfall
- …
- over budget
- under budget
- on budget
- …
- (British English also Budget)[countable, usually singular] an official statement by the government of a country’s income from taxes, etc. and how it will be spent
- Tax cuts are expected to be a major part of this year's Budget.
- a budget deficit (= when the government spends more money than it earns)
- The finance ministry is trying to reduce the budget deficit.
- Military spending accounts for around 17% of the federal budget.
Collocations The economyThe economyManaging the economy- handle/run/manage the economy
- boost investment/spending/employment/growth
- stimulate demand/the economy/industry
- cut/reduce investment/spending/borrowing
- reduce/curb/control/keep down inflation
- create/fuel growth/demand/a boom/a bubble
- encourage/foster/promote/stimulate/stifle innovation/competition
- encourage/work with/compete with the private sector
- increase/boost/promote US/agricultural exports
- ban/restrict/block cheap/foreign imports
- the economy grows/expands/shrinks/contracts/slows (down)/recovers/improves/is booming
- enjoy an economic/housing/property boom
- push up/drive up prices/costs/inflation
- damage/hurt/destroy industry/the economy
- cause/lead to/go into/avoid/escape recession
- experience/suffer a recession/downturn
- fight/combat inflation/deflation/unemployment
- cause/create inflation/poverty/unemployment
- create/burst a housing/stock market bubble
- cause/trigger a stock market crash/the collapse of the banking system
- face/be plunged into a financial/an economic crisis
- be caught in/experience cycles of boom and bust
- cut/reduce/slash/increase/double the defence/education/aid budget
- increase/boost/slash/cut public spending
- increase/put up/raise/cut/lower/reduce taxes
- raise/cut/lower/reduce interest rates
- ease/loosen/tighten monetary policy
- balance the (state/federal) budget
- achieve/maintain a balanced budget
- run a ($4 trillion) budget deficit/surplus
- impose taxes/austerity measures
Culture the budgetthe budgetTo people in Britain the budget means an announcement made in autumn each year by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the minister in charge of finance, about the government's plans concerning taxation and public spending (= money to be spent by the government).On Budget Day the Chancellor explains in a long speech to the House of Commons the financial policy of the Treasury, plans for government spending, and how the money for this will be raised through taxation. There is then a debate on the budget, which lasts for several days, followed by a vote to accept or reject it. The speech is broadcast on national radio and television and is much discussed by financial and political experts. Photographs of the Chancellor on Budget Day usually show him holding up the red leather case in which the speech is contained. The word budget originally meant a small leather bag.Many people fear budget changes, because they usually mean tax increases rather than reductions, particularly on alcohol, tobacco and fuel. Some of these increases become effective immediately and car drivers may rush to buy fuel just before the budget. Budgets announced close to general elections usually contain fewer tax increases to avoid making the government unpopular.In the US the budget is a document describing how much money the government expects to have, and how it will use that money. Congress spends a lot of time discussing how much money each part of the government needs. Each member of Congress tries to make sure that as much money as possible will be spent in the area he or she represents. This is called pork-barrel politics, and money spent to benefit a particular place is called pork. When Congress has decided on a budget the President considers it. In the past the President had to approve or veto (= reject) the whole budget, but now he has a line-item veto and can veto an individual item. The Office of Management and Budget helps prepare the budget and checks how the money is spent.The US budget includes revenues (= sources of money) and spending (= amounts that will be spent). The government's largest source of money is income tax (= taxes taken out of the money that people earn from their jobs). Since the government's revenues are smaller than its spending, the US has a budget deficit (= a debt). Individual states also make budgets, and the laws of a particular state may say that it must not have a deficit (= spend more than it receives).Topics Moneyb2, Politicsb2Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fixed
- limited
- low
- …
- get
- have
- allocate
- …
- expenditure
- deficit
- shortfall
- …
- over budget
- under budget
- on budget
- …
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French bougette, diminutive of bouge ‘leather bag’, from Latin bulga ‘leather bag, knapsack’, of Gaulish origin. Compare with bulge. The word originally meant a pouch or wallet, and later its contents. In the mid 18th cent., the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in presenting his annual statement, was said “to open the budget”. In the late 19th cent. the use of the term was extended from governmental to other finances.