1
as in to pay
to hand over or use up in payment
I always end up spending too much money at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to consume
to make complete use of
the town has already spent its budget for snow removal, and it's only January
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to waste
to use up carelessly
spent all his energy on impractical schemes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spend
Alisyn Camerota spent 10 years at CNN, hosting CNN Newsroom and CNN Tonight.
—
Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
In a presentation for young athletes — and for the pro teams and college athletic departments that might invite him to speak — Stripling’s firm uses his story of a baseball prospect that got a $900,000 up-front payment and spent the $500,000 after taxes on a red Lamborghini.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Many doctors and nurses spend a significant part of their time on administrative tasks, such as data entry.
—Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Most are somewhere in the middle — a legacy platform that’s been in place too long, data scattered across systems that don’t quite line up, an IT team that’s spent more of the last five years keeping things running than rebuilding them.
—Dennis Woodside, Fortune, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
In a presentation for young athletes — and for the pro teams and college athletic departments that might invite him to speak — Stripling’s firm uses his story of a baseball prospect that got a $900,000 up-front payment and spent the $500,000 after taxes on a red Lamborghini.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Many doctors and nurses spend a significant part of their time on administrative tasks, such as data entry.
—Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Most are somewhere in the middle — a legacy platform that’s been in place too long, data scattered across systems that don’t quite line up, an IT team that’s spent more of the last five years keeping things running than rebuilding them.
—Dennis Woodside, Fortune, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend
Verb
-
The parliamentarian kept most of the immigration portion of the legislation intact, though some minor provisions were blocked, including Customs and Border Patrol funds to hire, train and pay Border Patrol agents.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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The court also ordered them to pay Djena nearly three hundred thousand dollars in restitution.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Could the chicken from which the thigh and breast meat came, have consumed, weeks earlier, a toxic amount of psychedelics?—
Weike Wang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Thankfully, cleaning a mattress isn't hard to do or very time consuming.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Fix the part that wastes the most energy first.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
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Rather than wasting precious vacation time ironing everything in your suitcase, do yourself a favor and check out the savings available on wrinkle-free travel clothes ahead of your next trip.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Trump demonizes immigrants and has launched a sweeping mass-deportation campaign that was cheered by the far right across Europe; Sánchez resists such nativism, and his government is in the midst of a program to give legal status to some half a million undocumented migrants living in Spain.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
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Two losses in last month’s three league matches gave the impression of momentum slipping, and even if performances improved towards the end of April, something different was needed to shift the energy towards the club.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Mitchell did not miss a shot in the quarter, draining all three of her 3-point tries as well as a step-back jumper.—
John Davis,
Daily News,
14 May 2026
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Even with so many suspects, Janet's brother, Francesco Caltieri, remembers hope draining away in his family's household.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The pilot had declared an emergency before communication with the aircraft was lost, the Bahamas Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority told CBS News.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
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Tuesday marked the Braves’ first home game since losing two pillar members of their franchise.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Specifically, the program targets gap funding, financial support for students who are academically on track to graduate but have exhausted every other source of aid and still face an outstanding balance that could prevent them from finishing.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
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At the school board meeting, many parents said they were exhausted from battling their kids over screen time.—
Sharon Lurye,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Verb
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From a slew of acids, designed to slough off dead skin cells, to masks that help draw and absorb oil, the sheer array can be overwhelming.—
Diana Tsui,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
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Lay tomato and cucumber slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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