1
as in to spend
to hand over or use up in payment
redecoration will have to wait, since we've just expended our last dollar in buying the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to consume
to make complete use of
settlers had to be sure not to expend their supply of firewood before the end of the long winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expend
Some Gulf states have used a significant portion of their interceptor inventories, with estimates suggesting Bahrain may have expended up to 87% of its Patriot missiles, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have used roughly 75% and Qatar has used roughly 40%.
—
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2026
The presidential mandate, in part, directed officials to stop expending federal funds on the medical modification of prisoners who identify as transgender.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2026
The state expended another 62,000 hours just from July through November, for a total of 154,000 hours expended over a period of about nine months.
—Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
With one missile – particularly one outfitted with cluster munitions – Iran can send millions of Israelis into bomb shelters and cause Israel and the US to continue expending a finite supply of costly missile interceptors.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for expend
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2026
The presidential mandate, in part, directed officials to stop expending federal funds on the medical modification of prisoners who identify as transgender.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2026
The state expended another 62,000 hours just from July through November, for a total of 154,000 hours expended over a period of about nine months.
—Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
With one missile – particularly one outfitted with cluster munitions – Iran can send millions of Israelis into bomb shelters and cause Israel and the US to continue expending a finite supply of costly missile interceptors.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for expend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expend
Verb
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At thirty-three, Chalker was older than most of his classmates, with more experience professionally and abroad, and he was tapped to spend a day with James Pavitt, then the agency’s director of operations.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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After Brooklyn spent two quarters playing mostly clean, the third quarter got loose.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That translates to many years to replace the 850 consumed by the Iran War.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
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Amid public concern, federal health authorities have denied any reports of illnesses linked to consuming fish or seafood because of possible contamination.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And the Panthers feel safe with the rest of their inside linebacker depth to not have to pay a lot of money to retain a backup, particularly with the way Cherelus played in 2025.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
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The parents had each paid nine hundred dollars; most had found Squire online.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some fruit trees might prefer wet weather and moist earth, but others will perform best with well-draining, sandy soil.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
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That includes details that criminals can use to drain accounts, open loans, or impersonate you.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The idea that forms of artistic expression can exhaust themselves is nothing new.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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In 2018, pregnant with her third child, Kate Ames was exhausted.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Businesses are either forced to absorb rising input costs, which pressures profit margins, or pass them through to clients, which adds to inflationary pressures.—
Paulina Likos,Zev Fima,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
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The roots hold fast to mud and soil, reducing erosion and absorbing the power of storm surge to protect inland areas from flooding.—
Ryan Kellman,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expend. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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