Synonyms of expend

expend

verb

ik-ˈspend 

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

• spend
• pay
• give
• disburse
• outlay
• lay out
• shell out
• waste
• drop
• fork (over, out, or up)
• lavish
• squander
• dissipate
• rain
• run through
• throw away
• blow
• fritter (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• save
• make
• acquire
• procure
• earn
• realize
• hoard
• gain
• win
• secure
• lay up
• cache
• garner

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

• spend
• consume
• drain
• exhaust
• absorb
• reduce
• deplete
• burn
• use
• eat
• devour
• use up
• decrease
• play out
• waste
• draw down
• run out of
• empty
• diminish
• weaken
• lessen
• downsize
• dwindle
• undermine
• squander
• abate
• bankrupt
• impoverish
• clean (out)
• debilitate
• cripple
• sap
• enfeeble
• disable
• misspend
• guzzle
• dry up
• lower
• blow
• dissipate
• de-escalate
• lavish
• throw away
• run through
• fritter (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• replace
• increase
• renew
• augment
• enforce
• enlarge
• reinforce
• strengthen
• restore
• preserve
• save
• conserve
• repair
• rebuild
• revive
• bolster
• fortify

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of expend

The result is a collection of novels that, while intermittently electrifying, expend an incredible quantity of words on the semiotics of TV marketing and the ethics of selling out. — Robert Rubsam, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026

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