"expensive" in a Sentence — Examples for K-8

Three example sentences for expensive, written at K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 reading levels.

What does "expensive" mean?

expensive is an adjective that means: costing a lot of money. Seeing it in real sentences helps kids learn how the word actually behaves in writing.

Grade K–2Easy sentence with expensive

"That car is expensive."

Notice the short, simple structure — perfect for early readers learning to decode and understand new words.

Grade 3–5Upper-elementary sentence with expensive

"The expensive sneakers fell apart faster than the regular pair I bought last year."

This sentence adds more context and detail — typical of chapter books at this grade level.

Grade 6–8Middle-school sentence with expensive

"An expensive item is sometimes worth the higher price if it lasts for many years, but other times you are mostly paying for the brand name on the label."

At this level, expensive takes on subtler shades of meaning depending on context — the kind of nuance middle-schoolers need for essay writing.

How to use these sentences in the classroom

Sentence imitation — Read the example aloud, then have students write their own sentence with the same structure but a different topic.

Vocabulary notebooks — Have students copy the grade-appropriate sentence into their vocabulary journal alongside the definition.

Reading comprehension — Ask students to identify why expensive is the right word for that sentence — what would change if you swapped it for a synonym?

FAQ — using "expensive" in sentences

How do I use expensive in a sentence for a 1st grader?

Try: "That car is expensive." Keep it under 7 words and use sight-word vocabulary around it.

What's a more advanced sentence with expensive?

"An expensive item is sometimes worth the higher price if it lasts for many years, but other times you are mostly paying for the brand name on the label."

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