1
as in paying
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 consuming
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 wasting
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 spending
This summer’s transfer window was a record-setting one, with Premier League teams spending more than £3billion — seven of the 20 clubs paid the highest fee in their history — as the division outspent Europe’s other four major leagues combined.
—
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
In 2024, Detroit Free Press' Georgea Kovanis shared her experiences spending a year, along with photographer Mandi Wright, with Amanda, a woman addicted to drugs who is helping others like her, distributing harm reduction items that have saved lives.
—Detroit Free Press Staff, Freep.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Greengrass and his team got to work, spending pre-production dollars on feasibility studies and tests.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
Many consumers across the country are spending less on retail and restaurant purchases, forcing restaurants and fast-food giants to unveil new menu items to capture customer interest.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Perplexity was one of the first companies to launch an AI-powered internet browser, but gaining access to the tool has been difficult without spending $200 per month for its top-end Max subscription.
—PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
Mario Guevara, the Salvadoran journalist who gained popularity by documenting immigration raids, has been deported after spending months in federal custody.
—Liam Reilly, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Many respondents report spending $200 or more per month on berries.
—Mark Dent, HubSpot, 3 Oct. 2025
Other measures Beyond simple job or payroll count, spending data also can be a useful indirect gauge.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
In 2024, Detroit Free Press' Georgea Kovanis shared her experiences spending a year, along with photographer Mandi Wright, with Amanda, a woman addicted to drugs who is helping others like her, distributing harm reduction items that have saved lives.
—Detroit Free Press Staff, Freep.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Greengrass and his team got to work, spending pre-production dollars on feasibility studies and tests.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
Many consumers across the country are spending less on retail and restaurant purchases, forcing restaurants and fast-food giants to unveil new menu items to capture customer interest.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Perplexity was one of the first companies to launch an AI-powered internet browser, but gaining access to the tool has been difficult without spending $200 per month for its top-end Max subscription.
—PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
Mario Guevara, the Salvadoran journalist who gained popularity by documenting immigration raids, has been deported after spending months in federal custody.
—Liam Reilly, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Many respondents report spending $200 or more per month on berries.
—Mark Dent, HubSpot, 3 Oct. 2025
Other measures Beyond simple job or payroll count, spending data also can be a useful indirect gauge.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spending
Verb
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The investigation also showed settlement agreements ALDOT had signed with some residents soon after flooding concerns arose, paying each homeowner up to $5,000.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
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The bank’s investigation revealed that Javice had enlisted the help of a data science professor, paying him $18,000 to create fake customer data.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Robert Zemeckis' comically gruesome look at female beauty standards finds Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn consuming a magic potion that promises eternal life — with a little (nay, a lot) of maintenance.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
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According to the study, the membrane achieved one of the highest selectivities for lithium among similar technologies while consuming considerably less energy.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Denim has long been branded one of the most climate-adverse, chemical-heavy, water-wasting fabrics to mill and manufacture.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Sep. 2025
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Talk about wasting our valuable resource.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ross is also taller, giving officers more viewing coverage above crowds than Walking Horses, which can be as short as 14 hands, or 4 feet, 9 inches tall.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
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Free friendship bracelets at Insomnia Cookies Meanwhile, Insomnia Cookies is giving customers free friendship bracelets for the day.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Soundbar Deals The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus instantly enhances the sound on any TV without taking over your entire living room or draining your wallet.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
7 Oct. 2025
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Indeed, large swathes of Punjab and Sindh provinces, both key cotton-growing districts, are still draining out.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Since then, eight Cup Final series have featured a Canadian team, with more than half of them — the Vancouver Canucks (1994, 2011), Calgary Flames (2004) and Oilers (2006, 2024) — losing in Game 7s.—
Rob Rossi,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Ed is left alone on the farm after impulsively killing that brother (whose actual death might have been accidental) for breaking up the family unit and, the next year, losing Augusta to complications from a stroke.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So Much Fun) and others exhausting (the YSL Slime Language comps, 2023’s Business Is Business), as well as too many studio leaks unleashed via message board accounts.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2025
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Each one of those alerts puts millions of lives on hold – part of Russia’s strategy of terrorizing and exhausting Ukraine’s civilian population.—
Daria Tarasova-Markina,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The findings have led to the development of potential medical treatments that scientists hope could cure autoimmune diseases, the committee said, as well as providing more effective cancer treatments and reducing complications after stem cell and organ transplants.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
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Research has shown the benefits of exercise in mitigating the effects of aging by increasing blood flow to the brain and reducing the risk of chronic conditions, such as heart disease.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spending. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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