spent

adjective

\ ˈspent

Definition of spent

1a : used up : consumed

b : exhausted of active or required components or qualities often for a particular purpose spent nuclear fuel

2 : drained of energy or effectiveness : exhausted

3 : exhausted of spawn or sperm spent fishes

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about spent

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Examples of spent in a Sentence

he plopped down in his chair, completely spent, and then fell asleep

Recent Examples on the Web

There, police found Swanagan’s body lying face down between two houses and three spent casings in the area. — Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "West Allis man charged with homicide after a botched gun sale turned into a fatal shooting, complaint says," 21 June 2019 China is already a spent force in the global savings glut: its current-account surplus has dwindled to next to nothing. — The Economist, "The long-term decline in bond yields enters a new phase," 5 June 2019 Candles placed in front of the sign were lit as police combed the street for spent shell casings and other evidence. — Fox News, "Girl, 4 others shot during memorial service expected to live," 21 Sep. 2018 Many are located along the coast, where the material from the spent pyrotechnics gets blown ashore and moved around. — Gary Robbins, latimes.com, "Monitoring the air around July Fourth fireworks for signs of dangerous lead," 4 July 2018 The three reactors at the Tomari plant had switched to emergency backup generators to keep spent fuel safely cooled. — Fox News, "The Latest: 9 dead, 30 missing in northern Japan quake," 6 Sep. 2018 By the summer of 2017, the Left Trolls were mostly a spent force. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Why Facebook banned Alex Jones — and Twitter didn’t," 11 Aug. 2018 Many are located along the coast, where the material from the spent pyrotechnics gets blown ashore and moved around. — Gary Robbins, latimes.com, "Monitoring the air around July Fourth fireworks for signs of dangerous lead," 4 July 2018 Units 4, 5, and 6 were shut down, albeit with spent reactor fuel sitting in pools that required cooling. — Andrew Karam, Popular Mechanics, "Five Years Later, Cutting Through the Fukushima Myths," 11 Mar. 2016

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