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
His lips were sunburned after spending three days leading a group down the Rio Grande.
—
Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
Now the company seeks to expand on last year’s win by spending vast sums — putting up more than $70 million so far — on a California ballot measure campaign to cap attorney fees in car crash cases.
—Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
His father’s side of the family lived on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in Humboldt County, and Roy grew up surrounded by family, often spending time with his aunts, uncles, and cousins on the reservation.
—Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 13 May 2026
This means spending on beauty and personal care is growing as younger demographics are considered the highest engagement beauty users.
—Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 May 2026
That should have happened before spending months in jail.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Music lovers will appreciate spending an evening at the National Forum of Music, with its renowned acoustics, or attending free, open-air JazzOVO concerts in the courtyard of OVO Wroclaw during summer Fridays.
—Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 13 May 2026
During a March 18 hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission, Kalbouss said Earthrise was spending more than half a billion dollars for its 240-megawatt solar farm near Crete.
—Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
The last of the four is about five months old and is in the zoo’s hospital, spending some of his time in an incubator.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2026
Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
Now the company seeks to expand on last year’s win by spending vast sums — putting up more than $70 million so far — on a California ballot measure campaign to cap attorney fees in car crash cases.
—Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
His father’s side of the family lived on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in Humboldt County, and Roy grew up surrounded by family, often spending time with his aunts, uncles, and cousins on the reservation.
—Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 13 May 2026
This means spending on beauty and personal care is growing as younger demographics are considered the highest engagement beauty users.
—Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 May 2026
That should have happened before spending months in jail.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Music lovers will appreciate spending an evening at the National Forum of Music, with its renowned acoustics, or attending free, open-air JazzOVO concerts in the courtyard of OVO Wroclaw during summer Fridays.
—Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 13 May 2026
During a March 18 hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission, Kalbouss said Earthrise was spending more than half a billion dollars for its 240-megawatt solar farm near Crete.
—Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
The last of the four is about five months old and is in the zoo’s hospital, spending some of his time in an incubator.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spending
Verb
-
Importing higher-paying—and oftentimes higher-achieving—students benefits a school during boom times, when universities have seemingly infinite choice among applicants.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
-
Adani, one of the world’s richest people, was accused in 2024 of paying massive bribes to ensure the project’s success.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Thankfully, cleaning a mattress isn't hard to do or very time consuming.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
-
Public health agencies have launched multilingual warnings, including radio ads, flyers, and PSAs in several languages, urging residents to avoid consuming wild mushrooms.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The new pistachio cheesecake began popping up in Costco bakery sections nationwide a few weeks ago, and customers online are wasting no time sharing the exciting news across social media.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
18 May 2026
-
This is just one of many instances of the DOJ wasting taxpayer dollars on political posturing.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
Verb
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And the end came well before midnight, with goals by Mitch Marner and Brett Howden in the first 8½ minutes giving Vegas a commanding lead before many in the late-arriving weeknight crowd had made it to their seats at the Honda Center.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
Las Vegas moved on from the quarterback this offseason in favor of Cousins and Mendoza, less than a year after giving Smith more than $58 million guaranteed.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Plant the cutting in well-draining soil in a 12-inch tall pot that’s about 6 inches wide so the roots have plenty of room to grow.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
-
More turbulent water draining from the desert via seasonal drainage channels called wadis might have brought others.—
Geoff Emberling,
The Conversation,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The rest of the production had been much harder—particularly because, to his frustration, he’d been forced to film primarily in Atlanta rather than in Oakland, after a year of maddening delays led to the production losing its California tax rebate.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
The Wolves were wiped out by the Spurs in the second round, losing Game 6 by 30 points on Friday night.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Sliding effortlessly from incisive observer to chaotic flirt to exhausting narcissist, Firstman is never not in on the joke.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
-
Martinez on Thursday did not discuss details of the plan but said the city was exhausting all its options while seeking more ways to cut costs.—
Abby Church,
Houston Chronicle,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Eco effort The Pig group’s 25-mile menu keeps suppliers local, reducing food miles and packaging in the process.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Its document generation tools guide founders through complex legal processes step by step, reducing errors and ensuring completeness.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spending. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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