noun
definition
An expendable person or object; usually used in the plural.
example
Private Johnson was afraid the Lieutenant considered him an expendable, since he was always picked as point man.
adjective
definition
Able to be expended; not inexhaustible.
example
Oil and other expendable resources are frequently the subject of military disputes.
definition
Designed for a single use; not reusable.
example
The anti-aircraft rocket is fired from an expendable launch platform.
definition
Not essential or mandatory in order to achieve a goal.
example
The research department was deemed expendable, and its funding was not renewed.
definition
Regarded as not worth preserving or saving; able to be sacrificed.
example
In the internecine rivalries of large corporations, whole departments may become expendable in the execution of one executive's power play.