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
Orion crew spends first day in space NASA's Orion spacecraft is pictured from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings on April 7.
—
Mark Osborne, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
For this luxury, the average subscribing household spends $69 monthly on their video streaming service subscriptions, Deloitte said.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Whorton spends the winter monitoring snowpack in river basins around the state.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2026
Money that Ford spends paying unanticipated tariffs is money that could have been put on the hood to help move new pickups.
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 9 Apr. 2026
Lowering the cost of care for families The United States now spends more than $5 trillion a year on health care, and costs are accelerating.
—Anthem Blue Cross California, Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
Whether or not a school-age child spends their school day on a screen shouldn’t be dependent on where mom or dad can find a job.
—Abby McCloskey, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Rochester, for example, spends about 250,000 pounds ($330,000) a year on music, a substantial outlay for a provincial cathedral but less than some.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
Mark Osborne, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
For this luxury, the average subscribing household spends $69 monthly on their video streaming service subscriptions, Deloitte said.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Whorton spends the winter monitoring snowpack in river basins around the state.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2026
Money that Ford spends paying unanticipated tariffs is money that could have been put on the hood to help move new pickups.
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 9 Apr. 2026
Lowering the cost of care for families The United States now spends more than $5 trillion a year on health care, and costs are accelerating.
—Anthem Blue Cross California, Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
Whether or not a school-age child spends their school day on a screen shouldn’t be dependent on where mom or dad can find a job.
—Abby McCloskey, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Rochester, for example, spends about 250,000 pounds ($330,000) a year on music, a substantial outlay for a provincial cathedral but less than some.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spends
Verb
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The list price starts at a little over 12,000 for 200 milligram dosage, but the amount someone actually pays varies greatly.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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The Pickford Award pays tribute to alumni whose achievements bring special distinction to the university and the industry.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The gifts will also be used to assess how the public consumes the content.—
Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
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There's a lot of discussion on the Hill on this right now, and there's concern about high healthcare prices, which consumes nearly one in $5 spent in the United States.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Helios, which previously had a monopoly on the Moon's resources, loses an antitrust lawsuit to Exxon, Shell, and Halliburton.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The thing that draws so many folks to New England and gives us such joy in the summertime can be an absolute party-pooper in the spring.—
Terry Eliasen,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, to stream HBO Max for free, opt for a subscription to one of DirecTV’s signature packages — Entertainment, Choice or Ultimate — which gives customers their first three months of HBO Max for free, along with Paramount+ Premium, STARZ, MGM+ and Cinemax.—
Erin Lassner,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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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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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There’s a queerness to Mantello’s vision, including a blurring of gender associations that begins with its leads and radiates throughout, that ultimately drains the drama of its potency.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
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Make sure the water from dehumidifiers and air conditioners drains somewhere that easily dries up.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Worse, when half the world shields consumers from higher energy prices, the remaining half absorbs all the demand adjustment.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The hydrocolloid keeps the blister contained in a wet environment and also releases an active gel that absorbs fluid from the blister—all while keeping the wound cushioned from further harm.—
Jessica Sulima,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spends. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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