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
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 spend
Ford spent decades dumping hazardous waste, including paints, solvents, heavy metals, construction rubble and contaminated soil on the river floodplain into the 1960s, none of which was addressed when soils at Highland Bridge were cleaned to residential standards.
—
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
The family relocated to El Monte, California, where McDonald grew up and conducted the high school marching band before enlisting in the Navy and spending three years stationed in Japan.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Lawmakers recently spent hours arguing over measures to preempt local governments from funding activities that fall under a vague and broad definition of diversity, equality and inclusion, stop them from restricting greenhouse gases, and prevent them from regulating urban sprawl.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
The Pats should plan to double-dip in free agency and spend a high pick in the draft to replenish their talent at premium position.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
The family relocated to El Monte, California, where McDonald grew up and conducted the high school marching band before enlisting in the Navy and spending three years stationed in Japan.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Lawmakers recently spent hours arguing over measures to preempt local governments from funding activities that fall under a vague and broad definition of diversity, equality and inclusion, stop them from restricting greenhouse gases, and prevent them from regulating urban sprawl.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
The Pats should plan to double-dip in free agency and spend a high pick in the draft to replenish their talent at premium position.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend
Verb
-
Tech giants are buying up memory chips like never before, and paying a premium for multiyear contracts.—
Nasteho Said,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
This should be exciting news for the 1 in 6 Americans who deal with infertility, especially those without health insurance or paying out-of-pocket because of inadequate coverage.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bardossas said she's been passionate about consuming organic food and reducing her family's exposure to chemicals for a long time.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The resource base is being consumed, not replenished.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Ingoglia has flatly ignored the way the state’s $117 billion budget keeps swelling, or the millions that DeSantis has wasted in foolish political stunts.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
-
War wastes innocent lives, trillions of dollars and time better spent on, for example, global climate change and the necessary global cooperation needed to address it.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Noting some confusion over the like-for-like numbers this year, given recent changes to the business structure, the analysts said that weapon and ammunition growth will remain elevated, and there is scope for its naval business to be resilient, too.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The dozens of demonstrators who signed up to give their public comment had to wait outside.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Officials say a goal of the attacks is to undermine support for Ukraine, spread fear and discord in European societies and drain investigative resources.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
If your plant is struggling, adjusting your watering schedule or repotting in fresh, well-draining soil will likely make a bigger difference.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The markets lose millions, maybe more, each time somebody in the press asks President Trump a question.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
-
For a few minutes, Hollywood lost its collective mind.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As all of these bankruptcy cases illustrate, litigation is one of the most common drivers for association bankruptcies, and much like foreclosures, it should only be considered when all other reasonable options have been exhausted.—
Awilda Esteras,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Barely a minute or two ticked away at Galen Center last month,but USC freshman Alijah Arenas already was exhausted.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Abraham Accords brethren like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have absorbed more than 250 ballistic missiles and some 1,500 drone attacks from Tehran.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The complaint pointed to previous reporting from Fortune, which cited a Goldman Sachs projection from August 2025 indicating consumers had absorbed 22% of total tariffs costs, but were projected to bear 67% of those costs by October 2025 as more costs were passed down.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
