"discretionary spending" meaning in English

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "nondiscretionary spending"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "discretionary spendings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
        "2": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "discretionary spending (usually uncountable, plural discretionary spendings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Economics",
          "orig": "en:Economics",
          "parents": [
            "Social sciences",
            "Sciences",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2000, D. W. Elmendorf et al., “Social Security Reform and National Saving in an Era of Budget Surpluses”, in Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, volume 2000, number 2, page 48:",
          "text": "In this scenario discretionary spending is held to a constant share of GDP.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The amount or portion of a person's or group's expenditures which is used for non-essential or voluntary disbursements; the amount or portion of one's expenditures which one may make as one sees fit."
      ],
      "id": "en-discretionary_spending-en-noun-KyMCUs8t",
      "links": [
        [
          "economics",
          "economics"
        ],
        [
          "amount",
          "amount"
        ],
        [
          "portion",
          "portion"
        ],
        [
          "expenditure",
          "expenditure"
        ],
        [
          "non-",
          "non-"
        ],
        [
          "essential",
          "essential"
        ],
        [
          "voluntary",
          "voluntary"
        ],
        [
          "disbursement",
          "disbursement"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(economics) The amount or portion of a person's or group's expenditures which is used for non-essential or voluntary disbursements; the amount or portion of one's expenditures which one may make as one sees fit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "economics",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2001 October 29, Michael Elliott, “Don't Worry About Oil”, in Time:",
          "text": "Nervous consumers and business executives put off discretionary spending.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009 March 30, Josh Quittner, “Kindle 2 Will Woo You”, in Time:",
          "text": "If only the Kindle 2 were cheaper! Despite its other shortcomings, Amazon's new and improved digital-book reading device does enough right that it could become the Model T of e-readers, capturing the imagination—and discretionary spending—of the masses.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The action of making such expenditures."
      ],
      "id": "en-discretionary_spending-en-noun-YnHUbzx0",
      "links": [
        [
          "action",
          "action"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 16 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 15 56",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 17 56",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1992, Bill Turque AND Ginny Carroll, \"Ross Perot's New Tease,\" Newsweek, 31 Aug.",
          "text": "Perot would cut federal discretionary spending by 15 percent, chopping items that range from the space station to the Rural Electrification Administration."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "US government expenditures which are subject to annual review and authorization by Congress, as distinct from expenditures authorized by existing laws."
      ],
      "id": "en-discretionary_spending-en-noun-Y89WSVVE",
      "links": [
        [
          "annual",
          "annual"
        ],
        [
          "authorization",
          "authorization"
        ],
        [
          "Congress",
          "Congress"
        ],
        [
          "existing",
          "existing"
        ],
        [
          "law",
          "law"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, government finances) US government expenditures which are subject to annual review and authorization by Congress, as distinct from expenditures authorized by existing laws."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "37 16 47",
          "word": "disposable income"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "business",
        "finance",
        "finances",
        "government"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "discretionary spending"
}

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "nondiscretionary spending"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "discretionary spendings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
        "2": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "discretionary spending (usually uncountable, plural discretionary spendings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "disposable income"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Economics"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2000, D. W. Elmendorf et al., “Social Security Reform and National Saving in an Era of Budget Surpluses”, in Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, volume 2000, number 2, page 48:",
          "text": "In this scenario discretionary spending is held to a constant share of GDP.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The amount or portion of a person's or group's expenditures which is used for non-essential or voluntary disbursements; the amount or portion of one's expenditures which one may make as one sees fit."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "economics",
          "economics"
        ],
        [
          "amount",
          "amount"
        ],
        [
          "portion",
          "portion"
        ],
        [
          "expenditure",
          "expenditure"
        ],
        [
          "non-",
          "non-"
        ],
        [
          "essential",
          "essential"
        ],
        [
          "voluntary",
          "voluntary"
        ],
        [
          "disbursement",
          "disbursement"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(economics) The amount or portion of a person's or group's expenditures which is used for non-essential or voluntary disbursements; the amount or portion of one's expenditures which one may make as one sees fit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "economics",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2001 October 29, Michael Elliott, “Don't Worry About Oil”, in Time:",
          "text": "Nervous consumers and business executives put off discretionary spending.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009 March 30, Josh Quittner, “Kindle 2 Will Woo You”, in Time:",
          "text": "If only the Kindle 2 were cheaper! Despite its other shortcomings, Amazon's new and improved digital-book reading device does enough right that it could become the Model T of e-readers, capturing the imagination—and discretionary spending—of the masses.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The action of making such expenditures."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "action",
          "action"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1992, Bill Turque AND Ginny Carroll, \"Ross Perot's New Tease,\" Newsweek, 31 Aug.",
          "text": "Perot would cut federal discretionary spending by 15 percent, chopping items that range from the space station to the Rural Electrification Administration."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "US government expenditures which are subject to annual review and authorization by Congress, as distinct from expenditures authorized by existing laws."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "annual",
          "annual"
        ],
        [
          "authorization",
          "authorization"
        ],
        [
          "Congress",
          "Congress"
        ],
        [
          "existing",
          "existing"
        ],
        [
          "law",
          "law"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, government finances) US government expenditures which are subject to annual review and authorization by Congress, as distinct from expenditures authorized by existing laws."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "business",
        "finance",
        "finances",
        "government"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "discretionary spending"
}