USE UP Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

use up

verb

Definition of use up

as in to spend

to make complete use of we used up the last of the flour when we made the waffles

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of use up Paul, somehow now already 31 years old, has been a useful player on a good Tampa team for a long time, including producing two 20-goal, 40-point seasons when he was used up the lineup with some of their stars in 2023-24 and 2024-25. — James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 July 2026 Remove dying blooms and seed capsules to prevent unnecessary seed development that can use up the plant’s nutrients and energy. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 30 June 2026 The fund was amended last year to allow the agency to use up to one-third of it – or about $108 million – to meet cash flow needs, pending approval from the director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. — Jillian Taylor, StateImpact, 30 June 2026 To use up your basil bounty, try our spreads, sauces, restaurant-style pastas, and even a refreshing drink with basil. — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for use up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for use up

Verb

However, Morehouse, who has spent more than a decade campaigning for the return of American children abducted to Japan, doubts the amendment to Japan’s Civil Code will bring significant change.

— Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 12 July 2026
Berman, who spent 13 years as the NHL’s deputy general counsel and VP of community development, helped the league provide a grant for that program.

— PJ Green July 11, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

Every one of those calls consumes tokens and touches a system with its own permissions.

— Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Public health data has taught us that alcohol, which can be fine when consumed in moderation, can be harmful to individual and societal health in excessive amounts.

— Adam Hoffer, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

Conwell drained a three on his first shot but then missed six in a row, before hitting another three late in the third quarter.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
The promotion dropped on Monday, June 29 and almost immediately, the original $150,000 budget allocated to the promotion was drained —covering some 25,000 pulls.

— Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

Budweiser's free beer promotion for America's 250th and its own 150th anniversary quickly exhausted its initial $150,000 budget, disappointing many.

— Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
His one non-negotiable is that his players take a similar approach and are exhausted when leaving the pitch.

— Colin Millar, New York Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Shamea and Porsha’s passive back-and-forth is a fascinating take on how icing someone out after a friendship falls apart can play out on a show like The Real Housewives.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 29 June 2026
In April, when Rojas got news that his father had been rushed to the hospital, Roberts quickly took the decision on whether to play out of Rojas’ hands, scratching him from the lineup.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026

Definition of play out

Verb

The plan limited cuts to a Black Student Achievement program and drew down funds from a retiree health benefit trust fund to show the district could stay solvent.

— Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, America’s emergency stockpile of oil, has been drawn down significantly since the war broke out to help replace all those barrels of oil lost in the strait.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 8 July 2026

Definition of draw down

Verb

Derived from a Central African shrub, the drug's ability to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings were uncovered by accident, when Howard Lotsof, a 19-year old addicted to heroin, tried ibogaine out of curiosity in 1962.

— Gavin Escott, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Displaying tactical discipline and superior talent, the English national team defeated Mexico 3-2 with a lineup reduced to 10 men on Sunday night.

— Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of reduce

Verb

When the Wright brothers first flew, the doubt was never about whether the machine worked, but whether flight would ever be something ordinary people used without a second thought.

— Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
In the Tahoe Basin, the Caldor fire restoration plan outlines roughly 3,600 acres where the Forest Service could use ground crews to apply herbicide directly to shrubs — no aerial spraying.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of use

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uses up

use up

usher

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“Use up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/use%20up. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of use up

verb

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