over budget

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "over budget" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You would use this phrase when something has cost more than the budgeted amount for that specific thing. For example: "The cost of the event ended up being $800 more than budgeted, so we went over budget."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

It went over budget.

The New York Times

Nuclear projects are notorious for running late and over budget.

The New York Times

But the shuttle was late and over budget.

The New York Times - Science

As a result, production went over budget.

Wikipedia

And then budget the "over budget" into your budget.

Huffington Post

Unfortunately, both parties are mainly jousting over budget cutting.

Huffington Post

This is especially important in Germany as physicians can be fined for being over budget [ 80].

BMC Health Services Research

Don't go over budget.

WikiHow

Plan to go over budget.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

It was over-long, over-budget.

The Guardian - Film

But the building projects have spiralled disastrously over-budget.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing project finances, clearly state the original budget and the final cost if it went "over budget". Provide specific figures to illustrate the variance.

Common error

Avoid simply stating that a project went "over budget" without providing context or numbers. Include specific figures to clarify the extent of the overspending and its impact.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "over budget" primarily functions as a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or verb, indicating that something has exceeded its allocated financial resources. Ludwig AI confirms its proper grammatical usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Wiki

20%

Science

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Academia

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "over budget" is a common and grammatically correct way to describe situations where expenses exceed allocated financial resources. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. It's frequently used in contexts such as news, media, and financial discussions to inform audiences that something has exceeded its financial plan. To enhance clarity, provide specific figures when discussing "over budget" scenarios and consider using alternative phrases like "exceeded the budget" or "ran into cost overruns" for variety.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

exceed the allocated funds

Focuses on the action of going beyond a set financial allocation.

run into cost overruns

Highlights the problem of increased expenses during a project.

go beyond the financial plan

Emphasizes that the original financial plan was not adhered to.

exceed the spending limit

Implies a predefined limit on spending has been surpassed.

overspend

A shorter, more direct verb to indicate spending more than intended.

break the bank

An idiomatic expression indicating a high and unexpected expense.

incur extra costs

Focuses on the consequence of additional, unplanned expenses.

drain the resources

Emphasizes the negative impact on the available financial resources.

blow the budget

An informal way of saying that the budget was significantly exceeded.

cost a fortune

Indicates a very high cost, though not necessarily in relation to a budget.

FAQs

How to use "over budget" in a sentence?

You can use "over budget" to describe a situation where expenses have exceeded the allocated budget, for example: "The project went "over budget" due to unforeseen circumstances".

What are some alternative phrases for "over budget"?

Instead of "over budget", you can use phrases like "exceeded the budget", "ran into cost overruns", or "exceeded the spending limit".

Is it grammatically correct to say "over budget"?

Yes, it is grammatically correct to use "over budget" as an adjective phrase or adverbially to describe something that has exceeded its budget. It can also function as a noun phrase.

What's the difference between "over budget" and "budget deficit"?

"Over budget" describes a situation where spending exceeds the allocated funds for a specific project or item, whereas "budget deficit" refers to a situation where a government or organization's overall expenses exceed its total income for a given period.