EXPEND Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

expend

verb

ik-ˈspend

Definition of expend

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of expend Your Metabolic Health Can Worsen Less movement also means fewer opportunities for the body to expend energy through muscle activity. — Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2026 Without adequate sunlight, photosynthesis slows, causing the tree to expend energy stretching its branches toward the light instead of producing fruit. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 21 Aug. 2026 Charismatic leaders expend energy to attract attention, using animation, vocal variation, facial expression and movement. — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 The whole United States was ordered by the president to expend resources to celebrate the Navajo Code Talkers. — Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for expend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for expend

Verb

Hochul's announcement came shortly after dozens of students and community members spent hours demanding transparency and accountability from university leaders at a forum sponsored by Cornell's student government.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Earlier this year, César Alvarez spent far too much of their play The Potluck having their onstage avatar wiggle around on the hook of writing The Potluck.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

That means an e-reader can display a page for hours while consuming essentially no display power between updates.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
According to a new report on eating patterns in America by market research company Circana, nearly half of US adults are actively trying to consume more protein, from bars to whey powder to chicken breasts night after night.

— Emily Laurence Sardinha, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

In that government post paying almost $70,000 a year, Jamal acted as a liaison with the Somali community.

— Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Last month, Democracy Docket surpassed 500,000 free email subscribers, the company first told Semafor, including 70,000 subscribers paying $10 a month or $120 per year.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of pay

Verb

Shawn and his father found the man on the easternmost coast of their island shortly after dusk, when the sky was drained of almost all its orange light and the waves had grown dark, topped with an eerie froth.

— Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
The road Game 3 win reigns supreme in Liberty lore after Sabrina Ionescu drained a 28-foot game-winning dagger.

— Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

Unsurprisingly, Chinese researchers have predicted that the main urban pension fund covering some 500 million urban workers, retirees, and cadres will be exhausted by the mid-2030s.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
In June, the NCAA ruled the class of 2022 had exhausted their eligibility.

— PJ Green October 2, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Shoppers filed a class action against the company in May, and its finance chief has said Amazon largely absorbed tariff costs rather than passing them on.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
The joint, which makes AI tools developed by and intended for filmmakers from essentially open source beginnings, saw its staff of less than 20 absorbed into the streamer and Affleck on board as an advisor.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of absorb

Browse Nearby Words

expels

expend

expended

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Style

“Expend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expend. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of expend

verb

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