spent

\ ˈspent

How to pronounce spent (audio)

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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 Native annuals are a great companion plant for spent spring bulbs. — oregonlive, "Native plants are essential to an Oregon garden: Here’s how to help them thrive," 13 Mar. 2020 In 2015, a 2-year-old boy in Greenbrier County died after falling into a tank used for spent cooking grease outside a car wash. — Washington Post, "Girl’s fall into grease pit prompts effort to toughen fines," 4 Feb. 2020 The title track dropped Sept. 10 and peaked at No. 3, and has thus far spent 19 weeks on the Alternative Songs chart. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "Which Green Day Single Is the Best? Vote!," 7 Feb. 2020 The prophets of doom are right; the auto show is fast becoming a spent force. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "What do the concept cars of the LA Auto Show tell us about the future?," 24 Nov. 2019 According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Bullard ran away from home as an 11-year-old and spent years traversing the South before stowing away on a ship to Scotland. — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "First African-American Fighter Pilot Honored with a Statue at Georgia Aviation Museum," 10 Oct. 2019 After blooming, remove spent stalks several inches above the bulb top. — Karen Dardick, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Trumpet-shaped amaryllis is big, beautiful and easy to grow," 26 Sep. 2019 The fuel transfer project has already resulted in 29 of the canisters being loaded with spent nuclear fuel. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Onofre owners, contractor and regulators face new lawsuit over fuel storage plan," 30 Aug. 2019 Now, another potential storage site has emerged to store spent fuel rods from U.S. power plants. — National Geographic, "All spent nuclear fuel in the U.S. will soon end up in one place," 30 July 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near spent

Spenserian sonnet

Spenserian stanza

Statistics for spent

Last Updated

22 Mar 2020

Cite this Entry

“Spent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spent. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020.

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More Definitions for spent

spent

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of spent

: used up and no longer useful

somewhat formal : tired and drained of energy

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

spent

\ ˈspent

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Kids Definition of spent

1 : used up a spent battery

2 : drained of energy By Fridays, I'm spent.

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