cost dear

Verb

cost dear (third-person singular simple present costs dear, present participle costing dear, simple past and past participle cost dear)

1. To be expensive.
   • Those extra nights tacked onto his hotel stay will cost him dear.
   • It will cost him dear to tack additional nights onto his hotel stay.

   Synonyms:

   cost an arm and a leg, cost a pretty penny

2. (broadly) To cause a lot of pain or suffering.
   • His intransigence will cost him dear in the end.
   • It will cost him dear to be so intransigent for so long.