1
as in to spend
to hand over or use up in payment
redecoration will have to wait, since we've just expended our last dollar in buying the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to consume
to make complete use of
settlers had to be sure not to expend their supply of firewood before the end of the long winter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expend
There were concerns that rankings could serve as maladaptive motivators for health institutions, encouraging them to expend resources to climb the ranks rather than to serve their patients.
—
Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The preference is always to miss Wyoming away, given the 7,220 feet of elevation and the remote locale that forces SDSU to expend two of its typically four allotted charter legs each season.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
Less drag means less power expended, which means that the car can go further on a single charge.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
Noise from loud ‘information laden’ conversations and music, task interruptions, alerts from social media applications, email, Teams calls, visual distractions all of which break your concentration and require you to re-focus expending un-necessary cognitive energy.
—Andrew Mawson, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expend
Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The preference is always to miss Wyoming away, given the 7,220 feet of elevation and the remote locale that forces SDSU to expend two of its typically four allotted charter legs each season.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
Less drag means less power expended, which means that the car can go further on a single charge.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
Noise from loud ‘information laden’ conversations and music, task interruptions, alerts from social media applications, email, Teams calls, visual distractions all of which break your concentration and require you to re-focus expending un-necessary cognitive energy.
—Andrew Mawson, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expend
Verb
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But there have been signs that Kim has spent months preparing for a major parade in the capital Pyongyang, potentially at night and involving tens of thousands of people, according to the South Korean military.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
9 Oct. 2025
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McMahon has encouraged states to ask her to waive rules on spending the money.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This is a record of warmth and passion, one that hangs on the conviction that nobody has ever felt so consumed by the dizzy, wild and blissed-out rush of infatuation.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
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The advice in the 2025 scientific reports hasn't changed much from previous years, and includes an emphasis on consuming fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One suggested paying for outside services, such as privatized tutoring.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
8 Oct. 2025
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Most other federal workers, however, do not get paid, even if they are deemed essential and required to work.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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González, not known as a shooter when the Celtics drafted him, drained one of two 3-point attempts.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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Most indoor plants are watered from the top until the water drains from the pot through the drainage holes.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead of gradually boiling into insanity, the film hits fever pitch hallucinations right away and quickly exhausts itself attempting to keep pace.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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Vacherot won the next two points, exhausting Djokovic in a rally to get to 40-Ad.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gustafson moved her feet, absorbed the bump from Thomas and kept her arms vertical.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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In other words, students prepare for citizenship in a disputatious society by practicing the civic arts—by asserting and advocating for their views—not by meekly absorbing lessons from their instructors.—
Christopher L. Eisgruber,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Expend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expend. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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