1
as in spends
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
2
as in consumes
to make complete use of
settlers had to be sure not to expend their supply of firewood before the end of the long winter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expends
Virtually every cell on every branch of the tree of life expends a hefty chunk of its energy budget — in some cells, more than half — on maintaining a voltage across its membrane.
—
Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026
When the workload is greater than usual, your body temporarily expends more energy to fuel the digestive process, both in breaking down macronutrients and in absorbing that fuel for use later.
—Bryn Beeder, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 2025
The places facing existential climate risks—especially those in the Deep South—are mostly in states that have long been considered politically uncompetitive, where neither party expends much effort or money to gain votes.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
China’s apparent surge in missile production comes as the US expends sophisticated defense systems in Ukraine and Israel, causing some ammunition shortages and sparking debate in Washington about how and where to deploy its high-end weapons.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Meteorologists said Erin would likely fluctuate in strength throughout the week as the storm draws strength from warm ocean waters, then expends energy through enormous wind and waves.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 17 Aug. 2025
The first machine to solve the puzzle secures the next block of transactions and earns a Bitcoin reward, while every competing rig still expends the same electricity.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026
When the workload is greater than usual, your body temporarily expends more energy to fuel the digestive process, both in breaking down macronutrients and in absorbing that fuel for use later.
—Bryn Beeder, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 2025
The places facing existential climate risks—especially those in the Deep South—are mostly in states that have long been considered politically uncompetitive, where neither party expends much effort or money to gain votes.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
China’s apparent surge in missile production comes as the US expends sophisticated defense systems in Ukraine and Israel, causing some ammunition shortages and sparking debate in Washington about how and where to deploy its high-end weapons.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Meteorologists said Erin would likely fluctuate in strength throughout the week as the storm draws strength from warm ocean waters, then expends energy through enormous wind and waves.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 17 Aug. 2025
The first machine to solve the puzzle secures the next block of transactions and earns a Bitcoin reward, while every competing rig still expends the same electricity.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expends
Verb
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Adamov, who sometimes spends long hours sheltering in the capsule, keeps a close eye on the devices from a short distance.—
Svitlana Vlasova,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
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This playful and comprehensive biographical documentary from director David Alvarado spends time with a deserving trailblazer whose name and accomplishments perhaps aren’t engraved in the American consciousness, but should be.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Explaining how a system works consumes attention that customers cannot spare.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Owing to this, cornstarch production also consumes vast amounts of water and relies heavily on the use of fertilizers and pesticides.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The 1970s were also a time of high-performance home audio and the JBL L100 Classic 80 pays tribute to that legacy by delivering refined acoustics, the latest materials and JBL’s build quality.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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And the gig pays an average $30,480 a year.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The denial exhausts the city’s legal options for the 2022 ballot measure, known as Measure C.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
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Ella has shades of Holly Hunter's intense, workaholic producer Jane from Brooks' 1987 masterpiece Broadcast News, the smartest person in any room who both exhausts and enchants everyone around her.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This structural and compounding loss heightened by sidelining Black women’s leaders drains institutions of current productivity and future leadership pipelines.—
Jallicia Jolly,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Fill the pot with loose, slightly acidic soil that drains quickly.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To ensure your body fully absorbs antibiotics, take antibiotics at least two hours before or four to six hours after taking magnesium.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
29 Jan. 2026
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Silicones help minimize the look of pores, squalane supports balanced hydration, and upsalite absorbs excess sweat and oil throughout the day for a natural matte finish.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expends. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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