Expendable

noun

Word Frequency: 0.5

Definitions

1.nounAn expendable person or object; usually used in the plural.

"Private Johnson was afraid the Lieutenant considered him an expendable, since he was always picked as point man."

2.adjectiveAble to be expended; not inexhaustible.

"Oil and other expendable resources are frequently the subject of military disputes."

3.adjectiveDesigned for a single use; not reusable.

"The anti-aircraft rocket is fired from an expendable launch platform."

4.adjectiveNot essential or mandatory in order to achieve a goal.

"The research department was deemed expendable, and its funding was not renewed."

5.adjectiveRegarded as not worth preserving or saving; able to be sacrificed.

"In the internecine rivalries of large corporations, whole departments may become expendable in the execution of one executive's power play."