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Definition of spend
spent
play \ˈspent\;spending
transitive verb
1 : to use up or pay out : expend
2a : exhaust, wear out the hurricane gradually spent itselfb : 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
intransitive verb
1 : to expend or waste wealth or strength
2 : to become expended or consumed
3 : to have an orgasm
spender
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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 of spend from the Web
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The Chicago Tribune reported in 1997 that police believed the killer spent time with lifeless bodies after murdering them.
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There's nothing worse than pushing all of the furniture up against the walls and forcing guests to either shout across the room or spend the evening talking just to the people beside them.
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In addition to the often-inescapable pressures of environment and environmental triggers, one of the underlying reasons for the runaway train of dollars spent and years of life lost to asthma is simply access to good care.
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But the remainder of his prime days won't be spent in another shirt playing for Pep Guardiola.
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Most important, the women spent extra time in prayer and reflection.
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An overage between 0-5 percent of the allotment would trigger a tax of 75 percent on every dollar spent beyond the limit.
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In fact, a firefly spends the vast majority of its life (one to two years) as a ravenous little larvae known as a glow-worm.
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Williams, a running back, has spent 11 seasons in the NFL, starring for the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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.
Origin and Etymology of spend
Middle English, from Old English -spendan, from Medieval Latin expendere to disburse, use up, from Latin, to measure by weight, pay out — more at expend
SPEND Defined for English Language Learners
spend
playDefinition of spend for English Language Learners
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: to use (money) to pay for something
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: to allow (time) to pass in a particular place or while doing a particular activity
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: to use (energy or effort) to do something
SPEND Defined for Kids
spend
playDefinition of spend for Students
spent
\ˈspent\;spending
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.
Learn More about spend
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See words that rhyme with spend Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spend Spanish Central: Translation of spend Nglish: Translation of spend for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spend for Arabic speakers
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