Synonyms of spends

spends

verb

present tense third-person singular of spend

1

as in pays

to hand over or use up in payment

I always end up spending too much money at the mall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pays
• gives
• expends
• disburses
• outlays
• lays out
• wastes
• drops
• shells out
• lavishes
• forks (over, out, or up)
• rains
• squanders
• dissipates
• runs through
• blows
• throws away
• fritters (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• saves
• earns
• makes
• realizes
• acquires
• wins
• procures
• secures
• hoards
• lays up
• gains
• caches
• garners

2

as in consumes

to make complete use of

the town has already spent its budget for snow removal, and it's only January

Synonyms & Similar Words

• consumes
• exhausts
• drains
• absorbs
• reduces
• uses
• expends
• burns
• eats
• depletes
• devours
• plays out
• decreases
• empties
• draws down
• runs out of
• wastes
• uses up
• diminishes
• lowers
• weakens
• downsizes
• dwindles
• undermines
• lessens
• impoverishes
• cleans (out)
• saps
• squanders
• blows
• cripples
• bankrupts
• lavishes
• disables
• debilitates
• guzzles
• abates
• de-escalates
• dissipates
• runs through
• enfeebles
• dries up
• throws away
• misspends
• fritters (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• replaces
• increases
• renews
• augments
• enforces
• enlarges
• reinforces
• repairs
• strengthens
• restores
• saves
• bolsters
• revives
• preserves
• conserves
• fortifies
• reenforces
• rebuilds

3

as in wastes

to use up carelessly

spent all his energy on impractical schemes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wastes
• loses
• lavishes
• consumes
• squanders
• blows
• runs through
• dissipates
• throws away
• misspends
• indulges
• trifles (away)
• fritters (away)
• plays ducks and drakes with
• expends
• fiddles away
• makes ducks and drakes of
• depletes
• exhausts
• impoverishes
• disburses
• overspends
• splurges
• overindulges
• shoots
• lays out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conserves
• protects
• economizes
• saves
• preserves
• skimps
• scrimps
• hoards
• lays up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spends

As evidenced by his Instagram, Schwarzenegger spends a lot of time with his famous family, and Champion does too. —Arielle Tschinkel, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

Start with the processes that are already broken—those high-volume, repetitive tasks where your team spends hours on work that adds little strategic value. —David Zwick, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Keanu Reeves leads the ensemble cast as Gabriel, a low-ranking guardian angel who spends his days presiding over Los Angeles drivers who text behind the wheel. —Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025

After one of his clients stiffs him, Veneno runs into Muñeco (Osvaldo Sanchez), a trucker in his 40s who spends long weeks away from his estranged family, drinking and doing drugs to stay awake on the job. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025

Google spends billions each year to be the default search engine on web browsers and smartphones. —Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

Many Iranians wonder why their government spends so much money and effort on picking fights with Israel, the United States, and their allies, rather than on fixing its own corruption. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025

Heuermann now spends his days at the Suffolk County correctional facility. —Michelle Watson, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025