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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in loses
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 spends
This exceeds the normal percentage of what is provided by EQIP cost-share grants, which usually max out at 75% of what a farmer spends on practices like setting up a greenhouse or improving their irrigation system.
—
Anthony Pahnke, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
The duo spends thirty-five seconds searching for their dad’s grave and bickering.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
At her home on Vancouver Island, the Canadian-American actor spends her days scanning the chop for whales, not floundering swimmers.
—Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2026
After a first murderous high, Green spends the rest of the film chasing that euphoria through a recognizable 20th century America braced for inevitable collapse.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
Overall, the Jewish community in North America spends $765 million per year on security, according to the Jewish Federations of North America.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
All the Little Animals is a small movie about a young man (Bale) with brain damage suffered in a car accident who comes across a gentle older man (John Hurt) who spends his days burying animals killed on the side of the road.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Anthony Pahnke, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
The duo spends thirty-five seconds searching for their dad’s grave and bickering.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
At her home on Vancouver Island, the Canadian-American actor spends her days scanning the chop for whales, not floundering swimmers.
—Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2026
After a first murderous high, Green spends the rest of the film chasing that euphoria through a recognizable 20th century America braced for inevitable collapse.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
Overall, the Jewish community in North America spends $765 million per year on security, according to the Jewish Federations of North America.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
All the Little Animals is a small movie about a young man (Bale) with brain damage suffered in a car accident who comes across a gentle older man (John Hurt) who spends his days burying animals killed on the side of the road.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spends
Verb
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The sequel strips Grace of what made her special and merely pays lip service to the first one’s worldview, representing the antagonists as generically incompetent hedonists.—
Michael Ordoña,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Mar. 2026
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That comparison can be misleading, however, because insurance rarely pays that price and even people without insurance typically get discounts.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For example, one weekend session saw Cheyenne Hunt, executive director of Gen Z for Change, and Washington Post staffer Dylan Wells discuss how the public consumes news.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Mar. 2026
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But that also consumes about 5% of the country's overall electricity, according to a study by Tel Aviv University.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Analysts and diplomats said that Orbán was maneuvering for a domestic audience, with Politico reporting that Brussels was now planning to simply wait for the polls to see if the longtime Hungarian leader loses.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Galloway loses a sky-high fly ball that bounces off the wall for a leadoff triple.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Accepting natural endings gives you space to build long-term peace.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Hernandez’s homer was his third of the spring and gives him a team-leading 15 RBIs in Cactus League play.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Board member Nicole Gribstad also urged the committee to include an option that delays such a decision and exhausts all other financial alternatives before closing schools.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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War wastes innocent lives, trillions of dollars and time better spent on, for example, global climate change and the necessary global cooperation needed to address it.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
14 Mar. 2026
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This not only wastes money and product, but also exposes pollinators and other wildlife to unnecessary chemicals.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Pack drains a 3 and is up to 19 points, and Texas is on the verge of tumbling to the 10th seed in the SEC Tournament and back onto the NCAA bubble.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
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Choose a commercial seed-starting mix that is loose and drains well.—
Holly McNamara,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The cushiony cream is packed with Blue Hyaluronic Acid, a micro-sized form of HA that absorbs quickly and delivers long-lasting hydration.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
21 Mar. 2026
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In the agency partnership announced Thursday, the Treasury absorbs the loans from borrowers who are in default or haven’t paid their debts for at least nine months.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spends. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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