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
Both had spent their entire lives chafing under the terror of bigotry, and from the hypocrisy being exposed by a heinous, toxic legacy of institutionalized double standards.
—
John E. Green, Time, 1 Feb. 2026
But living up to the first movie’s legacy was quite the task, given the central couple spends barely any time together on-screen.
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
This was the vision that Ohtani had when crafting this deal, hoping to add not just his own talents but free up the pipeline for the Dodgers to keep spending around him.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Super Bowl – to spend or not to spend.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
John E. Green, Time, 1 Feb. 2026
But living up to the first movie’s legacy was quite the task, given the central couple spends barely any time together on-screen.
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
This was the vision that Ohtani had when crafting this deal, hoping to add not just his own talents but free up the pipeline for the Dodgers to keep spending around him.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Super Bowl – to spend or not to spend.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend
Verb
-
In this Gothic fantasy debut, Leena Al-Sayer bargains her ability to see the dead in order to pay for the expensive medicine her brother Rami needs to live.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the legislature should act on the report’s recommendations with actions to strengthen reporting, enforce existing laws, prevent further abandonment of wells and ensure polluters pay for cleanup.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Seymour said the fundraiser’s original goal has already been consumed by travel costs alone and warned that future expenses — including therapy — remain unknown.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Finally, the dietary guidelines fail to state that people under age 21 should not consume alcohol at all.—
Paul Gilbert,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The result is wasted energy, excess heat, and diminishing returns on efficiency improvements that once accompanied each generation of smaller transistors.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Moments earlier, his goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin had been actively wasting time.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Six movable struts give the cockpit full freedom of motion.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
-
But Black art is always compared, shared and given a value.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Introverts have social batteries that will drain over time, but they can be recharged with good energy hygiene.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Stop forcing yourself into formats that drain you.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The United States lost around 57,000 troops in the Korean War and 47,000 during the Vietnam War.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
-
In Maye's case, getting there in just his second season, the notion of going from 4-13 to Super Bowl participant reminds us that the door is open next year, even for clubs with losing records in 2025.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On its upward climb, the SLS will quickly exhaust the fuel in all six of its first-stage engines, and they will be jettisoned, leaving only the rocket's upper stage and the Orion spacecraft to reach orbit.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Those cuts came just after Microsoft had absorbed Nokia’s mobile business, hoping to catch up to Google and Apple in the smartphone market.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Idealists generate ideas faster than systems can absorb them.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
