Synonyms of spending

spending

verb

present participle of spend

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

• paying
• giving
• expending
• disbursing
• wasting
• laying out
• outlaying
• dropping
• shelling out
• forking (over, out, or up)
• lavishing
• raining
• squandering
• dissipating
• blowing
• running through
• throwing away
• frittering (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• saving
• making
• earning
• hoarding
• acquiring
• securing
• realizing
• procuring
• winning
• gaining
• laying up
• caching
• garnering

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

• consuming
• draining
• exhausting
• reducing
• absorbing
• burning
• eating
• using
• depleting
• expending
• wasting
• devouring
• decreasing
• emptying
• playing out
• drawing down
• running out of
• using up
• lowering
• diminishing
• weakening
• downsizing
• dwindling
• undermining
• bankrupting
• crippling
• impoverishing
• lessening
• sapping
• cleaning (out)
• blowing
• squandering
• debilitating
• misspending
• disabling
• abating
• lavishing
• enfeebling
• guzzling
• drying up
• dissipating
• de-escalating
• throwing away
• running through
• frittering (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increasing
• replacing
• renewing
• enforcing
• enlarging
• reinforcing
• strengthening
• augmenting
• repairing
• restoring
• rebuilding
• saving
• preserving
• reviving
• conserving
• bolstering
• fortifying

3

as in wasting

to use up carelessly

spent all his energy on impractical schemes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wasting
• losing
• squandering
• lavishing
• blowing
• misspending
• consuming
• dissipating
• running through
• throwing away
• trifling (away)
• overspending
• frittering (away)
• splurging
• indulging
• fiddling away
• playing ducks and drakes with
• depleting
• exhausting
• expending
• impoverishing
• disbursing
• shooting
• overindulging
• laying out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conserving
• protecting
• saving
• economizing
• preserving
• skimping
• scrimping
• hoarding
• laying up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spending

But instead, Patel is walking free after spending two years living with his parents and participating in therapy. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

The child, identified by authorities as Klieber Moran, was rescued after spending six days trapped beneath the rubble, Rodríguez said. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026

Finks enters the position after spending the last four years as the director of safety services in the North Little Rock School District. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 30 June 2026

Companies are spending aggressively on AI while struggling to connect those investments to measurable business outcomes. — Eglae Recchia, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Wall Street is increasingly punishing Big Tech companies for spending on AI without profits to justify it. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

For consumption, Temasek sees opportunities in spending on experiences over goods, and homegrown consumer brands that have proved innovation capabilities, over foreign brands. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 July 2026

Tired of spending his days simply delighting in psychological torture and revenge, Lestat publicly chases the life of a famous rock star, writing and producing an album and performing in a cross-country tour while maintaining a fake vampire persona. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2026

Now, following intense backlash from local communities, a series of lawsuits and a leadership shakeup at the Department of Homeland Security, the agency appears to be abandoning the initiative – a dramatic shift away from a plan that had already seen spending upwards of $1 billion. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 June 2026