spend

verb

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\ ˈspend

spent\ ˈspent

\; spending

Definition of spend

transitive verb

1 : to use up or pay out : expend

2a : exhaust, wear out the hurricane gradually spent itself

b : to consume wastefully : squander the waters are not ours to spend— J. R. Ellis

3 : to cause or permit to elapse : pass spend the night

4 : give up, sacrifice

intransitive verb

1 : to expend or waste wealth or strength

2 : to become expended or consumed

3 : to have an orgasm

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Examples of spend in a Sentence

I spent $30 on his birthday gift. They spend a lot on clothes and cars. I want to buy a new car, but I don't have much money to spend. Her willingness to spend freely made her popular among her friends. He spends lavishly on vacations. I spent my summer at the beach. She spent eight months living in New York City. Relaxing with friends is a great way to spend a weekend. Our cat spends most of his time sleeping. Too much of my time is spent arguing with customers.

Recent Examples on the Web For example, San Francisco head coach Steve Mariucci had grown up as a Green Bay fan and had spent four seasons (1992-95) as the quarterbacks coach on Mike Holmgren’s staff with the Packers. — Steve Kroner, SFChronicle.com, "Steve Young, Steve Mariucci reflect on 49ers beating Packers on The Catch II," 19 Jan. 2020 In the twelve months preceding the 2016 election, the Trump campaign had spent more on social media than any other candidate, including Clinton. — The Economist, "Digital disinformation is destroying society but we can fight back," 17 Jan. 2020 Meanwhile, Netflix has spent nearly $1.8 billion on advertising through the first nine months of 2019, according to the company’s most recent earnings report. — Sahil Patel, WSJ, "NBC’s Peacock Enlists Advertisers and Cable Companies in Marketing Push," 16 Jan. 2020 By the early 1900s, the shipmates had spent more time in America than in their homelands. — National Geographic, "https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2020/02/clotilda-americas-last-slave-ship-stole-them-from-home-it-couldnt-steal-their-identities-feature.html," 16 Jan. 2020 The library workers, with help from the city’s IT and parks and recreation department staff, have spent the past month keeping most services going despite the disruption. — Yvette Orozco, Houston Chronicle, "Weeks after leak, League City library building reopens," 16 Jan. 2020 One of those years would be spent conceptualizing and relaunching Good Morning America‘s website. — Joi-marie Mckenzie, Essence, "Robin Roberts Is The Inspirational History-Maker Black Women Deserve," 16 Jan. 2020 The tiny city of Bessemer, in Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula, has spent $3,400 on a marijuana-sniffing instrument called the Nasal Ranger. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "The Nasal Ranger: A Hobbyist Weed Farm's Worst Enemy," 15 Jan. 2020 Weinstein has spent more than two decades locating and restoring violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. — al, "'Dreams of Hope’ co-directed by UAB’s Dr. Henry Panion, to premiere on PBS stations nationwide," 15 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

22 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Spend.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spend. Accessed 23 January 2020.

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More Definitions for spend

spend

verb

English Language Learners Definition of spend

: to use (money) to pay for something

: to allow (time) to pass in a particular place or while doing a particular activity

: to use (energy or effort) to do something

See the full definition for spend in the English Language Learners Dictionary

spend

verb

\ ˈspend

spent\ ˈspent \; spending

Kids Definition of spend

1 : to use (money) to pay for something

2 : to cause or allow (as time) to pass … he parked his car … and was spending considerable time walking about town.— Robert McCloskey, Homer Price

3 : to use wastefully : squander She spends a lot of energy worrying.

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