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

Antiquing is usually a more expensive hobby, in part because of the time and effort that dealers have expended curating their items for sale. — Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 25 July 2026

Syrskyi also came under intense criticism for his association with the 425th Separate Assault Regiment, known as Skelia, which for many Ukrainians became emblematic of the tactics that expended soldiers’ lives for marginal territorial gains. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

Drone swarms could expose or distract enemy defenses, forcing them to expend interceptors and reveal their positions. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026

Instead of storing up energy in their bulbs for next year’s flowers, your lily plants will expend that energy producing seeds. — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 21 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