Budget — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈbə-jət/ bud·get

Meaning & Definition of Budget

Budget (noun)

  1. a statement of the financial position of an administration (as of a nation) for a definite period of time based on estimates of expenditures during the period and proposals for financing them
  2. a plan for the coordination of resources and expenditures
  3. the amount of money that is available for, required for, or assigned to a particular purpose

Budget (verb)

  1. to put or allow for in a statement or plan coordinating resources and expenditures, to put or allow for in a budget
  2. to require to adhere to a budget
  3. to allocate funds for in a budget

Budget (adjective)

  1. suitable for someone who is following a plan for coordinating resources and expenditures, suitable for one on a budget, inexpensive

Budget (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a sum of money set aside for a particular purpose

    "we've spent a little more than our budget this year"

    similar: account, deposit, fund, kitty, nest egg, pool
    related: chest, coffer(s), assets, savings, savings account, bankroll, cache, collection, cushion, hoard, pocketbook, reserve, treasure, petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money

  2. the number of individuals or amount of something available at any given time

    "the tour group had a whole budget of complaints"

    similar: force, fund, inventory, pool, repertoire, reservoir, stock, supply
    related: reserve, resource, cache, hoard, stockpile, refill, renewal, replacement, kitty, nest egg, pot, purse, fountain, mine, source, spring, well, wellspring

Budget (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. costing little

    "a budget phone plan for people on fixed incomes"

    similar: affordable, bargain-basement, cheap, cheapie, cheapo, chintzy, cut-price (chiefly British), cut-rate, dime-store, dirt cheap, el cheapo, inexpensive, low, low-end, popular, reasonable
    related: cheapish, moderate, discount, discounted, fire-sale, lowered, reduced, wholesale, valueless, worthless, supercheap, ultracheap
    opposite: costly, dear, deluxe, expensive, high, high-ticket, precious, premium, pricey, spendy (chiefly Northwest), valuable
    near: increased, inflated, exorbitant, extravagant, overpriced, prohibitive, prohibitory, steep, stiff, superexpensive, ultraexpensive, unreasonable, invaluable, priceless, luxurious

Budget (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to work out the details of (something) in advance

    "the vacationers carefully budgeted how they would spend their limited time in Italy"

    similar: arrange, blueprint, calculate, chart, choreograph, design, frame, lay out, map (out), organize, plan, prepare, project, scheme (out), shape, strategize (about)
    related: conspire, contrive, devise, intrigue, machinate, plot, put up, concert, get up, draft, outline, sketch, aim, figure, have on, intend, mean, contemplate, meditate, premeditate

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Budget

The most common words with a similar meaning to Budget:

Chiefly British: cut-price
account, deposit, fund, kitty, nest egg, pool, force, inventory, repertoire, reservoir, stock, supply, affordable, bargain-basement, cheap, cheapie, cheapo, chintzy, cut-rate, dime-store, dirt cheap, el cheapo, inexpensive, low, low-end, popular, reasonable, arrange, blueprint, calculate, chart, choreograph, design, frame, lay out, map (out), organize, plan, prepare, project

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Budget

Words with the opposite meaning of Budget:

costly, dear, deluxe, expensive, high, high-ticket, precious, premium, pricey, spendy, valuable

Related Words for Budget

chest, coffer(s), assets, savings, savings account, bankroll, cache, collection, cushion, hoard, pocketbook, reserve, treasure, petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money, resource, stockpile, refill, renewal, replacement, pot, purse, fountain, mine, source, spring, well, wellspring

Near Antonyms of Budget

increased, inflated, exorbitant, extravagant, overpriced, prohibitive, prohibitory, steep, stiff, superexpensive, ultraexpensive, unreasonable, invaluable, priceless, luxurious

Word Forms of Budget

Inflections: budgeted, budgeting, budgets

Derived words: budgetary (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Budget

Middle English bowgette, from Middle French bougette, diminutive of bouge leather bag, from Latin bulga, of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish bolg bag; akin to Old English belg bag belly

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Budget

Words & Phrases Containing Budget

budget surplus, balance a/the budget, big-budget, low-budget, on a small/tight/shoestring budget, over budget, under budget

Frequently Asked Questions about Budget

What does "Budget" mean?

"Budget" means a statement of the financial position of an administration (as of a nation) for a definite period of time based on estimates of expenditures during the period and proposals for financing them. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: a statement of the financial position of an administration (as of a nation) for a definite period of time based on estimates of expenditures during the period and proposals for financing them. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Budget"?

Other words for "Budget" include account, deposit, fund, kitty, nest egg, pool, force and inventory. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Budget" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Budget"?

There are 106 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Budget". Common alternatives include account, deposit, fund, kitty, nest egg, pool, force, inventory, repertoire and reservoir.

What is the opposite of "Budget"?

Antonyms of "Budget" include costly, dear, deluxe, expensive, high, high-ticket, precious and premium. Near antonyms include increased, inflated, exorbitant and extravagant.

How do you use "Budget" in a sentence?

Examples of "Budget" in a sentence: "we've spent a little more than our budget this year"; "the tour group had a whole budget of complaints"; "a budget phone plan for people on fixed incomes".

Is "Budget" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Budget" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Budget" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Budget" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Budget"?

"Budget" is pronounced /ˈbə-jət/ and divided into syllables as bud·get.