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

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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 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 But the United States has expended much of its stockpile of precision munitions and suffered substantial damage to its regional bases. — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026 Specific inventory numbers are classified, but CSIS estimates that about 65% of Patriot interceptors were expended between February and July, with less than 850 left on hand, down from 2,330 before the Iran war began. — James Powel, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026 Pacific Legal argued this was part of the problem — a private group of unelected activists had repeatedly forced others to expend resources defending themselves. — Michael Phillis, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for expend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for expend

Verb

According to public-records research by FOIAball, Rutgers spent $191,220 on fireworks and drone shows during the 2025 season.

— Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
The jury spent a week deliberating in Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where supporters and onlookers gathered outside for days awaiting a possible verdict.

— James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

This matters because consistently consuming too much sodium can raise blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Overall, sugar alcohols can affect people differently, and their digestive effects also depend largely on the amount consumed.

— Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

Singapore pays its political leaders high salaries to attract talent and deter graft, but the issue is thorny in the city-state, where the median wage worker made S$5,775 ($736) a month in 2025.

— Reuters, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
On the field, the Mets are obviously not paying this much attention.

— Tim Britton, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of pay

Verb

As a young man, Francisco traversed it on horseback, eking out a living by draining resin from the towering pines.

— Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Management voluntarily closed the store until a three-compartment sink could be fixed to drain properly.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

Commanders should seek positional advantages without exhausting their soldiers, manipulate the enemy’s movements when possible, and recognize when circumstances make pursuit or attack unwise.

— Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Then Shay Whitcomb, who is here only as a waiver-claim placeholder because the Giants exhausted all their infield depth, drove a pitch off the wall in center field to cap the six-run rally and give the Giants the lead.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Curtailment risk in India refers to a situation when renewable power plants are forced to cut their generation to meet the electrical grid’s capacity to safely absorb or transmit power.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
This design effectively absorbs violent shockwaves that would otherwise shatter conventional armor.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of expend

verb

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