1
a
: 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

Examples of spent in a Sentence

he plopped down in his chair, completely spent, and then fell asleep
Recent Examples on the Web So, replacing sand with spent coffee grounds could solve two ecological problems at once, since SCG are similarly fine particles. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 24 Aug. 2023 There, police found blood and a spent bullet shell casing in White’s vehicle. Molly Walsh | Mwalsh@cleveland.com, cleveland, 17 July 2023 Ballistics experts used 3-D imaging and other techniques to analyze the spent bullet that prosecutors in 1990 said killed Effie Entezari. Dperry, oregonlive, 2 Aug. 2023 The collateral damage to Pivetta’s success was a spent bullpen. Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023 Just unscrew the bottom and dump out the spent coffee grounds. Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 13 July 2023 Once the weapon is fired, the belt moves through the machine gun, ejects the spent cartridge case, and a new cartridge is loaded into the weapon’s breech. Matthew Moss, Popular Mechanics, 11 July 2023 But in truth the church has been more symbolic than practical within the broader movement for reparations, and some African American scholars characterize the Black church’s larger role so far as marginal and its strength as a spent force. Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 24 June 2023 For many residents, the soil testing — released six months after the incident — helped to ease some of the long-lasting concerns about health risks associated with the spent catalyst. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from past participle of spenden to spend

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of spent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near spent

Cite this Entry

“Spent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spent. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

spent

adjective
1
: used up
2
: drained of energy

More from Merriam-Webster on spent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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