spend

verb

ˈspend 

spent ˈspent  ; spending

transitive verb

1

: to use up or pay out : expend

2

a

: 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

spendable

ˈspen-də-bəl 

adjective

spender noun

Synonyms of spend

• pay
• give

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

That’s why our testers—spanning a wide range of skin types, ages, and skin concerns—have spent months determining which products actually deliver on their fine-line-smoothing and dark-circle-erasing promises. —Grace McCarty, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2026

Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman who was detained by immigration agents for protesting at Columbia University, was freed on a $100,000 bond after spending one year in custody in Texas. —Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026

Those disparate visions were on full display during a Tuesday oversight hearing in which agency leaders, company executives and advisory board members answered lawmakers’ questions about how California managed to spend $450 million on a regional 911 system, only to scrap the design. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 18 Mar. 2026

Both Knueppel and Miller were forced to spend the rest of the third period on the bench after picking up their fourth foul. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing spend

• spend/stay the night
• spend the night
• spend the night together
• spend the night with (someone)

Rhymes for spend

• blend
• blende
• denned
• end
• fend
• friend
• lend
• mend
• penned
• send
• tend
• trend

Kids Definition

spend

verb

ˈspend 

spent ˈspent  ; spending

1

: to pay out : expend

2

: to cause or allow (as time) to pass

spent the day with friends

3

a

: exhaust entry 1 sense 1, wear out

b

: to use wastefully : squander

spender noun