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

The first-stage booster made a successful 21st liftoff, but was expended to get the satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026

The Office of the Inspector General stated that the city has expended more then $36 million in p-card transactions since June 2022. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2026

The energy that had previously been acquired and expended while playing Grand Theft Auto was now being used to format a spreadsheet. —Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026

In addition, most of the money dedicated to well plugging is expended through contractors. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 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