expend

1 of 2

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

expender

2 of 2

noun

ex·​pend·​er

plural -s

: one that expends

Synonyms of expend

Verb

• spend
• pay

Examples of expend in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Those who track their sleep expend excessive time and effort for little benefit. — Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Fortune, 21 June 2026

Every fuel truck destroyed, ammunition convoy disrupted or logistics hub struck forces Russian commanders to expend additional time, resources and manpower simply maintaining battlefield operations. — Hunter Lacroix, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2026

Wildfires have been a frequent and traumatic threat to our community, and all resources to determine the identity of the person who started the fire have been expended. — Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 19 June 2026

The Cubs have already moved Colin Rea, Ben Brown and Javier Assad into their rotation for extended stretches, expending almost all of their depth. — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Verb

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