expend

verb

ex·​pend ik-ˈspend 

expended; expending; expends

transitive verb

1

: to pay out : spend

… the social services upon which public revenue is expended.

—J. A. Hobson

2

: to make use of for a specific purpose : utilize

projects on which they expended great energy

also : use up

expender noun

Synonyms of expend

• spend
• pay

Examples of expend in a Sentence

Are we willing to expend the time and resources required to solve the problem?

redecoration will have to wait, since we've just expended our last dollar in buying the house

Recent Examples on the Web

When prey becomes scarce or shifts to deeper or cooler waters, predators must travel farther and expend more energy to find food. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 July 2026

The first-stage booster flew for a record-tieng 20th time, but was expended getting the payload to medium-Earth orbit. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2026

Then, the Clippers willingly expended their draft capital in hopes to open a championship window. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

The medical industry has spent enormous effort making more advanced tests but expended little effort learning how to use tests correctly. — Daniel Morgan, STAT, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English expenden, exspenden, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French espendre, expendre, borrowed from Latin expendere "to weigh, pay out, disburse," from ex- ex- entry 1 + pendere "to weigh, have a weight of, pay (out), estimate, consider" — more at pendent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for expend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend

Kids Definition

expend

verb

ex·​pend ik-ˈspend 

1

: to pay out : spend

expend state funds

2

: use up

expend energy