1
as in to pay
to hand over or use up in payment
I always end up spending too much money at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to consume
to make complete use of
the town has already spent its budget for snow removal, and it's only January
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to waste
to use up carelessly
spent all his energy on impractical schemes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spend
Stroll along the 1000-foot long Daytona Beach Pier, catch a concert in the oceanfront bandshell, or spend the day swimming, boating, or kayaking.
—
Lisa A. Beach, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
Whether the execution matches the ambition will depend on decisions being made right now about how much to spend, where to direct it and whether the data systems needed to measure success get rebuilt.
—Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
The final two flights, which will evacuate people to Australia and the Netherlands, will depart tomorrow, the health minister said, with those passengers set to spend another night on board the ship tonight.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Landon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1991 and spent the last few months of his life advocating for a cure.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
Lisa A. Beach, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
Whether the execution matches the ambition will depend on decisions being made right now about how much to spend, where to direct it and whether the data systems needed to measure success get rebuilt.
—Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
The final two flights, which will evacuate people to Australia and the Netherlands, will depart tomorrow, the health minister said, with those passengers set to spend another night on board the ship tonight.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Landon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1991 and spent the last few months of his life advocating for a cure.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend
Verb
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If all of that stuff has to be paid for by hard campaign dollars, dollars that would be disclosed within 100 days to who?—
NBC news,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
-
The annual event pays homage to the 27 million Soviet citizens who died in that war.—
Guy Faulconbridge,
USA Today,
10 May 2026
Verb
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But for humans to consume cow’s milk, those calves are taken away.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
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King warned that the war would devour Johnson’s ambition for a Great Society, consuming the resources meant to relieve poverty here at home.—
Mark Conway,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
Verb
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This is unfair to the people experiencing homelessness in need of effective services, and unfair to taxpayers who see yet more of their money wasted with little to show for it.—
Adam B. Summers,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
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That took real effort, and it wasn't wasted.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Trump demonizes immigrants and has launched a sweeping mass-deportation campaign that was cheered by the far right across Europe; Sánchez resists such nativism, and his government is in the midst of a program to give legal status to some half a million undocumented migrants living in Spain.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
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Two losses in last month’s three league matches gave the impression of momentum slipping, and even if performances improved towards the end of April, something different was needed to shift the energy towards the club.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Weighing in at 710 tons, the sculpture was built to circulate 30,000 gallons of water but has been drained since 2024 in order to have its inner workings assessed.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
7 May 2026
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Her own growth hasn’t just been paused by the demands of caring for a sick child, it’s been drained by the constant mental load that comes with it.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The pilot had declared an emergency before communication with the aircraft was lost, the Bahamas Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority told CBS News.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
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Tuesday marked the Braves’ first home game since losing two pillar members of their franchise.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The starting quarterback competition is coming down to returning players Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall, as Jalon Daniels has exhausted his eligibility and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins recovers from an injury.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 May 2026
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Diplomacy, economic pressure, and international cooperation should always be exhausted first.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The law, which will allow buildings as tall as 85 feet in areas zoned for single-family housing, will take effect July 1 only in areas with high incomes and strong amenities, where new housing is more easily absorbed.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Most crashes on Florida roads involve two vehicles, with crumple zones, airbags, and seat belts absorbing the impact.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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