spent

adjective

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\ 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

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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 The spent blooms of red clover have crumbled to powder. — Owen Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, "‘Not all has withered’: A poetry month tribute to Paul O. Williams," 6 Apr. 2021 One spent training camp dealing with it — and that’s left him leaning toward postponing getting the vaccine until after the season ends. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "Many of Detroit Red Wings receive COVID-19 vaccine; here's why Darren Helm hasn't yet," 6 Apr. 2021 Phase 1 of the nuclear storage would constitute 500 modules (Figure 2) each containing one in-ground cylindrical canister that is packed with spent uranium nuclear material. — Ian Palmer, Forbes, "Why The Permian Basin May Not Be The Best Place To Store Nuclear Waste.," 3 Apr. 2021 Evidence found at the scene showed four spent shell casings near where the victim was laying when authorities arrived. — Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner, "Philadelphia man fatally shot while working on gun violence campaign," 30 Mar. 2021 As earlier generations of electric vehicles start to reach the end of their lives, preventing a pileup of spent batteries looms as a challenge. — New York Times, "How Green Are Electric Vehicles?," 2 Mar. 2021 But don't fear: the spent hydrocarbons will be put to good use making memorable walls of violent sound. — Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, "838-HP Pagani Huayra R Unveiled with One-Off 9000-RPM V-12," 18 Mar. 2021 Officers outside collected evidence and strung up police tape around the man’s car, his spent shells the red ballcap still on the ground. — Dallas News, "Man kicked out of Fort Worth strip club shot by security guard after shooting at building," 30 Jan. 2021 Some Republicans, particularly those who were always critical of Mr. Trump, are adamant that his exile will reveal him to be more of a spent force than a power broker. — New York Times, "Republicans Splinter Over Whether to Make a Full Break From Trump," 7 Jan. 2021

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.