budgetbudget1 noun [countableC]1ACCOUNTINGFINANCEa detailed plan made by an organization or a government of how much it will receive as income over a particular period of time, and how much it will spend, what it will spend the money on etcEach year business managers draw up a budget and suggest a series of financial targets.
The President has promised to balance the government’s budget (=make sure that no more is spent than is received as income) within three years.
→ advertising budget → austerity budget → balanced budget → capital budget → cash budget → sales budget → unbalanced budget2COMMERCEFINANCEthe amount of money that an organization has to spend on a particular activity in a given period of time, usually a yearHospital caterers have a budget of about £10 per person per week.
The service operates on a very tight budget (=with very little money to spare).
The film was made on a shoestring budget (=a very small budget).
→ see also mini-budget 3on a budget if you are on a budget, you have to do something with as little money as possibleOur self catering apartments are popular with those on a budget.