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
Baltimore County spends significantly less per resident on fire and EMS services than many comparable jurisdictions.
—
Nick Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026
San Francisco currently spends about $700 million to $800 million per year on homelessness, aided by the passage in 2018 of the Proposition C gross receipts tax on businesses with annual revenue greater than $50 million, but has yet to make a dent in its intractable homelessness problem.
—Adam B. Summers, Oc Register, 9 May 2026
Instead, Putin spends more time in underground bunkers micromanaging his war, paranoid about a coup or an assassination attempt by Ukrainian drones, sources told the Financial Times.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 May 2026
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
While the rest of the industry spends billions trying to stop batteries from exploding, PolyJoule built one that refuses to even stay lit.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
Apart from these rare public appearances, the young girl spends her days at Lambrook private school.
—Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 2 May 2026
Taylor, along with Eaddy Kiernan Bunzel and the rest of the events team, spends practically all of April in a conference room at the Vogue office, going over the seating chart, which lives on a large poster board that is kept top secret.
—Madeleine Luckel, Vogue, 2 May 2026
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Nick Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026
San Francisco currently spends about $700 million to $800 million per year on homelessness, aided by the passage in 2018 of the Proposition C gross receipts tax on businesses with annual revenue greater than $50 million, but has yet to make a dent in its intractable homelessness problem.
—Adam B. Summers, Oc Register, 9 May 2026
Instead, Putin spends more time in underground bunkers micromanaging his war, paranoid about a coup or an assassination attempt by Ukrainian drones, sources told the Financial Times.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 May 2026
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
While the rest of the industry spends billions trying to stop batteries from exploding, PolyJoule built one that refuses to even stay lit.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
Apart from these rare public appearances, the young girl spends her days at Lambrook private school.
—Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 2 May 2026
Taylor, along with Eaddy Kiernan Bunzel and the rest of the events team, spends practically all of April in a conference room at the Vogue office, going over the seating chart, which lives on a large poster board that is kept top secret.
—Madeleine Luckel, Vogue, 2 May 2026
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spends
Verb
-
Her mom pays her for her work in cash, privileges and Ugg boots.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
The plaintiffs are demanding that Cento bears the cost of the class notice and pays $25 million or more to the class members.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Equally troubling, this annual cycle consumes so much time and energy that there is almost none left to actually think about how the money is spent.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
The global economy consumes about 100 million barrels of oil every day.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Yet, the feast of fashion and style doesn’t make up for a sparse plot that loses its steam by the third episode.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
8 May 2026
-
An antagonist who feels himself a protagonist, Salieri is the main character of the play, and to a great extent, the film, while Mozart functions as the unwitting instrument through which Salieri loses his faith in God.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
January 20 – February 18 Pulling back slightly gives you a clearer read on everything today.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
5 May 2026
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Buxton knows the plan — a fighting retreat that saves ownership money but still gives the team the chance to regroup and compete for a division title with strong starting pitching and an aggressive, small-ball approach from a young, athletic lineup.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
If the search for a large outdoor planter exhausts you—just get a terra-cotta planter.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
6 Apr. 2026
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As the oil blockade quickly exhausts Cuba’s supply of fuel, triggering a series of lengthy, island-wide blackouts, many here are exhausted and are becoming increasingly vocal about their desire for fundamental changes in Cuba.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This requires drivers to go to the nearest station, which wastes a lot of time for both drivers and officers.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
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Why do Californians, most of whom also believe the state wastes taxpayer money anyway, support the BWT?—
Robertas Bakula,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For phones, there's not much that drains their battery as fast as playing demanding games, and PC games designed for dedicated desktop and laptop hardware are certainly demanding.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
7 May 2026
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Bargain-bin potting mix often drains poorly or contains few nutrients to begin with.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This kernel of truth may account for why the prosopopoeia of the wine mom absorbs so much misogynist loathing from all over the political map.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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Some experts say the conflict is putting additional pressure on Ecuadorian public spending, which absorbs part of the cost of gasoline.—
Anabella González,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spends. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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