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
The retailer employs a team of roughly 40 to 50 personal shoppers in Paris, who work closely with top-spending clients and serve as ambassadors for the store’s designer offering.
—
Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 17 June 2026
The department is working to approve requests for waivers that give states more flexibility for spending federal money.
—Alia Wong, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Research also suggests that if the hobby involves art, spending two or more hours per week on it provides the strongest well-being benefits.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026
People spending time outdoors should take frequent breaks, drink plenty of water and avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day when possible.
—Nic Merianos, CBS News, 17 June 2026
Jessica Namath, the founder of Floridians for Public Land, has been spending time outside the facility’s gates, tracking who enters and leaves.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 17 June 2026
The most valuable thing is time, and the worst investment was spending time with big tech companies and getting nothing in return.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 17 June 2026
In a state already plagued by oversight failures involving Medicaid, hospice care, in-home supportive services, and homelessness spending itself, the revelations were troubling, though hardly surprising.
—Michele Steeb, Oc Register, 10 June 2026
Welcome Bonus Earn up to 2,500 bonus points after opening your account, making at least two direct deposits, and spending $100 in the first 90 days.
—Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 10 June 2026
Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 17 June 2026
The department is working to approve requests for waivers that give states more flexibility for spending federal money.
—Alia Wong, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Research also suggests that if the hobby involves art, spending two or more hours per week on it provides the strongest well-being benefits.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026
People spending time outdoors should take frequent breaks, drink plenty of water and avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day when possible.
—Nic Merianos, CBS News, 17 June 2026
Jessica Namath, the founder of Floridians for Public Land, has been spending time outside the facility’s gates, tracking who enters and leaves.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 17 June 2026
The most valuable thing is time, and the worst investment was spending time with big tech companies and getting nothing in return.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 17 June 2026
In a state already plagued by oversight failures involving Medicaid, hospice care, in-home supportive services, and homelessness spending itself, the revelations were troubling, though hardly surprising.
—Michele Steeb, Oc Register, 10 June 2026
Welcome Bonus Earn up to 2,500 bonus points after opening your account, making at least two direct deposits, and spending $100 in the first 90 days.
—Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spending
Verb
-
In Britain, politicians are paying dearly for the pervasive sense that life is only getting harder and more expensive.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
-
Their legal dispute ended in a zero-dollar settlement, with neither side paying the other.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2026
Verb
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Treat Infestations Sprinkling a mix of equal parts borax and sugar can help get rid of bugs like ants and roaches (they’ll be attracted to the sugar and die after consuming the borax).—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
20 June 2026
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Interest in kratom surged in the last couple of years as users have reported consuming the compound in the form of a pill, powder or tea to treat various ailments.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Instead of wasting time worrying about the perfect sides to prepare with your summery main dishes, whip up one of these one-and-done dinners—no sides required!—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
21 June 2026
-
There are now five-second countdowns for goal kicks and throw-ins to stop time-wasting.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
Verb
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The inventory risk is real, but oil bulls are giving the problem too much weight, Dwivedi argues.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
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An orphaned owl at a rescue center in New York has adopted the role of a foster parent, nursing two orphaned baby owlets and giving them parental love.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Young people didn’t think these types of jobs paid enough money and felt the roles were often more emotionally draining than others.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
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Both handhelds sipped power during Balatro, draining the battery at around 14W and 9W, respectively.—
Jay Peters,
The Verge,
23 June 2026
Verb
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Argentina won the last World Cup after losing its opener to lowly Saudi Arabia, Portugal won Euro 2016 after sneaking into the knockouts following three draws in the group stage and Spain won the 2010 World Cup after losing its opening match to Switzerland.—
Patrick Sung Cuadrado,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
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But residents who live near hyperscale centers have expressed outrage over a range of issues, including health impacts, spiking utility bills, constant noise, dropping water pressure and concerns about potentially losing their land through eminent domain.—
Katie King,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Naval forces are increasingly looking for ways to defeat large numbers of drones without exhausting expensive missile inventories.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
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The Spurs seemed emotionally spent after exhausting all of their energy in unseating the defending champions.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Some institutions, like the University of Arizona, are intentionally lowering class sizes to improve academic performance and graduation rates, while reducing scholarship expenses and national recruitment burdens.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
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Norway's smartphone ban has already yielded results, according to some studies, including increasing students' GPAs and reducing trips to mental health professionals, particularly among female students.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spending. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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