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
Meanwhile, other carmakers have spent years racing to build cleaner cars in large part to keep up with Tesla.
—
Patrick George, The Atlantic, 18 June 2025
For instance, some people strive to buy second homes and then spend time decorating and furnishing these homes.
—Jann E. Freed, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Most entrepreneurs spend their time trying to optimize their funnel, fix their ads or tweak their landing page.
—Rudy Mawer, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
Prosecutors allege that one of the defendants and other co-conspirators spent three days on-site scouting an international jewelry show in San Mateo, Calif., including making multiple calls to each other, to plan the robbery.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spend
Patrick George, The Atlantic, 18 June 2025
For instance, some people strive to buy second homes and then spend time decorating and furnishing these homes.
—Jann E. Freed, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Most entrepreneurs spend their time trying to optimize their funnel, fix their ads or tweak their landing page.
—Rudy Mawer, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
Prosecutors allege that one of the defendants and other co-conspirators spent three days on-site scouting an international jewelry show in San Mateo, Calif., including making multiple calls to each other, to plan the robbery.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend
Verb
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Speaking after an assessment meeting with the army’s chief of staff, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2025
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Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the mission commander with aviator John Shoffner as pilot and two mission specialist seats paid for by the Saudi Space Commission, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2025
Verb
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Older people have been hearing about heart health from their doctors for years, and data show that smoking weed and consuming edibles can have catastrophic cardiovascular effects.—
Kevin Sabet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
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LinkedIn has become essential for business development, but traditional LinkedIn networking approaches consume hours without guaranteed returns.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
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And the state should do some of the work early by vetting the growing list of reading programs being offered to districts, so millions more dollars aren’t wasted on curricula and materials that don’t move reading scores.—
Denise Amos,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
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For Kinnear, the former Leeds United CEO leading the process behind the scenes, there has been little time to waste.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Jaws has been giving us all of them, attached to a vehicle with a perfect engine, for 50 years and counting.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2025
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The company then partnered with her to design and give away a Mustang in a sponsorship that brought a whole new light to the brand, giving it exposure to younger, female consumers.—
Scotty Reiss,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Why Culture Matters Toxic culture can drain performance, producing distrust, low creativity and high turnover.—
Chris Williams,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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But rather than engage in real fiscal discipline or rank order the needs of our communities, this budget leans on gimmicks — draining our Rainy Day Fund, borrowing billions from special funds, and relying on tax hikes that disproportionately harm small businesses and middle-class families.—
Diane Dixon,
Oc Register,
18 June 2025
Verb
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If Brian Wilson made music to remember what was lost, Sly Stone made music to insist there was still something worth finding.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
15 June 2025
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But the friend soon lost interest in geography, and Lilian was less enamored of the girl’s collection of mechanical pencils and scented erasers imported from Japan.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
15 June 2025
Verb
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In the new workplace, don’t exhaust yourself to win over everyone.—
Naira Velumyan,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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If Southern California Edison equipment is found to have sparked the blaze on Jan. 7, as dozens of lawsuits allege, the damage claims could quickly exhaust the state’s $21-billion wildfire fund.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Brooklyn is the only team with legitimate functional cap space, and the rebuilding Nets seem more likely to use it to absorb bad salary (in exchange for draft picks) than to make some big splurge on another team’s third-best player.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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While Hajime remains emotionally obtuse and absorbed in his architecture and a budding new romance with an underling, Ren tentatively seeks a reconciliation, and Emi openly resists any reunion.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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