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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expends
This spiritual sequel to ‘Frankenstein’ is a romantic tale of obsession, possession and fantasy — adjectives that also apply to its filmmaker, Maggie Gyllenhaal, who expends massive quantities of energy jolting it to life.
—
Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This upper stage of the rocket kicks in above 62 miles (100 kilometers), once the core stage expends all its propellant.
—Marcos Fernandez Tous, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
The familiarity expends to the animation itself, courtesy of the prolific Titmouse studio.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
Targeting multiple muscle groups expends calories more efficiently.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026
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
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
Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This upper stage of the rocket kicks in above 62 miles (100 kilometers), once the core stage expends all its propellant.
—Marcos Fernandez Tous, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
The familiarity expends to the animation itself, courtesy of the prolific Titmouse studio.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
Targeting multiple muscle groups expends calories more efficiently.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expends
Verb
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Marty is self-absorbed, forgetful, doesn’t much like people and spends hours online looking for advice about how to be a handyman.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
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The first two will be built in Finland while the company spends between $700 million to $1 billion to renovate the shipyards in the ports of Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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About 20% of the oil that the world consumes every day travels via the Strait of Hormuz, which runs along part of Iran’s coast.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
21 Mar. 2026
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South Pars accounts for about 70% of the gas Iran consumes, Ira Joseph, a senior research associate at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told ABC News.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Not everyone pays for Prime Video and Netflix, while others have cut the cord and don’t have cable.—
Andrew Marchand,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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But the team then pays for it later, as the cap number that got eliminated from one year gets redistributed throughout the rest of the term of the deal.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As the oil blockade quickly exhausts Cuba’s supply of fuel, triggering a series of lengthy, island-wide blackouts, many here are exhausted and are becoming increasingly vocal about their desire for fundamental changes in Cuba.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
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Board member Nicole Gribstad also urged the committee to include an option that delays such a decision and exhausts all other financial alternatives before closing schools.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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What Sacks doesn’t get is that by financing and diplomatically supporting Israel, our country makes the crimes of the Israeli government possible, which stains America’s reputation in the world and drains our Treasury.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Years of use as a makeshift neighborhood have degraded the forest and contributed to pollution in Coyote Creek, which drains into San Francisco Bay, city leaders say.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the darker open ocean absorbs those rays, raising temperatures and driving further ice melt.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
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Then there’s density (how many strands per square inch) and porosity (how readily hair absorbs moisture).—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expends. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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