SPEND Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

spend

verb

ˈspend

Definition of spend

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

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

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 With a lighter debt burden, in his view, the French government could then spend more on social programs. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026 The AfD’s support of Russia is no secret – the party is against further aid and defense packages for Ukraine, often referring to defense funding for Kyiv as money that is not being spent on programs for German people. — Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026 The Village Photographer Madeleine de Sinéty sloughed off her aristocratic upbringing and spent her life capturing small-town life in Brittany and Maine. — The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026 In 2013, the couple purchased the Wild Oak Plantation, a 17,000-acre wildlife preserve in northeast Florida, where the Walters now spend most of their time. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend

Verb

Singapore pays its political leaders high salaries to attract talent and deter graft, but the issue is thorny in the city-state, where the median wage worker made S$5,775 ($736) a month in 2025.

— Reuters, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
On the field, the Mets are obviously not paying this much attention.

— Tim Britton, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of pay

Verb

This matters because consistently consuming too much sodium can raise blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Overall, sugar alcohols can affect people differently, and their digestive effects also depend largely on the amount consumed.

— Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

Bournemouth were profligate, despite scoring through Marcus Tavernier and forcing a Malick Thiaw own goal, with multiple first-half chances wasted.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Faster speeds generally mean a compromise in quality, multi-color 3D printers often waste some filament, and higher volume loads usually demand more hardware.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of waste

Verb

As a young man, Francisco traversed it on horseback, eking out a living by draining resin from the towering pines.

— Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Management voluntarily closed the store until a three-compartment sink could be fixed to drain properly.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

Manchester City won the title three consecutive times between 2021 and 2024 but have lost in the final to Chelsea and Aston Villa in the last two seasons.

— Rob Tanner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
While rights activists accuse Bukele's government of widespread abuses, the country is notably safer than many other countries whose people have recently lost TPS protections.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of lose

Verb

Lucie, having exhausted all other possibilities, and needing Darnay in order to find her father, hires a very reluctant Carton, who in a trick worthy of Perry Mason, gets him off when a witness cannot tell him and Darnay apart.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Last month, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the US military had exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Curtailment risk in India refers to a situation when renewable power plants are forced to cut their generation to meet the electrical grid’s capacity to safely absorb or transmit power.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
This design effectively absorbs violent shockwaves that would otherwise shatter conventional armor.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of absorb

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spences

spend

spender

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of spend

verb

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