From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishat the expense of somebody/somethingat the expense of somebody/somethingHARM/BE BAD FORif something is done at the expense of someone or something else, it is only achieved by doing something that could harm the other person or thing the growth in short breaks, at the expense of longer package holidays → expense
Examples from the Corpus
at the expense of somebody/something• He did not want to devote more time to his business at the expense of his family• The client may win in court, but at the expense of destroying the business relationship, he says.• These are not just the shifting form of the economy and the rise of financial capital at the expense of productive capital.• The two companies said their marriage will come at the expense of 2,000 jobs.• You will now release me: the resulting implication being that I bought my freedom at the expense of his.• So there is little chance that the 1993 programme will go for short-term audience gain at the expense of long-term credibility.• All is filtered through Hoving's glass, which magnifies himself at the expense of his colleagues.• The cars were produced quickly, at the expense of safety.• Similarly, countries may make use of automation to improve their international competitiveness, sometimes at the expense of other countries.• Such values work at the expense of a positive evaluation of females. 