1
a
: used up : consumed
b
: exhausted of active or required components or qualities often for a particular purpose
spent nuclear fuel
2
: drained of energy or effectiveness : exhausted
3
: exhausted of spawn or sperm
spent fishes

Examples of spent in a Sentence

he plopped down in his chair, completely spent, and then fell asleep
Recent Examples on the Web Authorities said the spent bullet recovered from the autopsy matched to the firearm. Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2024 Don’t cut its woody branches; only trim the spent green stems, which will encourage more pretty blooms. Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024 Most brides never see the volunteer army that spends hours stooped over bushes and reaching into thorny climbers, cutting away all the spent blooms and dead leaves in the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden. Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024 Deadhead the spent blooms to encourage more flowering and maintain a tidier-looking plant. Steve Bender, Southern Living, 25 Jan. 2024 Discontinuing the use of feeding stations, however, could increase the chances of condors dying of lead poisoning from spent ammunition left in the carcasses of hunted animals such as ground squirrels and coyotes. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023 So, replacing sand with spent coffee grounds could solve two ecological problems at once, since SCG are similarly fine particles. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 24 Aug. 2023 There, police found blood and a spent bullet shell casing in White’s vehicle. Molly Walsh | Mwalsh@cleveland.com, cleveland, 17 July 2023 Ballistics experts used 3-D imaging and other techniques to analyze the spent bullet that prosecutors in 1990 said killed Effie Entezari. Dperry, oregonlive, 2 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from past participle of spenden to spend

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of spent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near spent

Cite this Entry

“Spent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spent. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spent

adjective
1
: used up
2
: drained of energy

More from Merriam-Webster on spent

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