use up

verb

Definition of use upnext
as in to spend
to make complete use of we used up the last of the flour when we made the waffles

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 The measure allows athletes to use up to five seasons of eligibility within a five-year window. — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2026 This is a great way to use up some of those tomatoes from your garden. — ABC News, 9 July 2026 Schieffelin, who played football last season because had used up his basketball eligibility, used his bulky frame to grab eight rebounds on an 11-point night. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026 Some of you enjoy turning them into completely new dishes, stuffing them into ancho peppers or making Polish beet soup just to use up your fridge's odds and ends. — Malaka Gharib, NPR, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for use up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for use up
  1. spend
  2. consume
  3. drain
  4. exhaust
  5. play out
  6. draw down
  7. reduce
  8. use
Verb
  • Some key participants spend months getting ready for the celebrations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • The more modern versions alternate rough branches and irregular shapes with classic designs, transforming coral into a warm accent that immediately evokes the Mediterranean, Southern Italy, and summers spent by rocky shores and crystal-clear seas.
    — Selene Oliva, Glamour, 18 July 2026
Definition of spend
Verb
  • This allowed the federal government to more easily zero in on a common culprit that had been consumed, which in turn helped identify the source of an outbreak, such as a specific farm, ranch or distributor.
    — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • The company behind the beer Sam Adams told NBC Boston its Boston Taproom ran out of Samuel Adams Boston Lager one weekend because of the Tartan Army, which drank four times as much beer as is consumed on a typical four-day weekend.
    — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 19 July 2026
Definition of consume
Verb
  • The shattered standing forlornly by the podium at the end of a draining tournament, hearts broken, bodies exhausted, having to watch as the opposition receive the reward that England were agonisingly close to.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • Ryan Fox took home the Claret Jug after draining a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Sunday.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
Definition of drain
Verb
  • With little time to recover on the ball, such sequences only serve to exhaust Argentina, running low on energy to exert such pressure themselves.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • This rule doesn’t apply to the high school class of 2022, many of whom exhausted their NCAA eligibility with the 2025-26 season.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 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 horizontal bar chart shows expected expenditures that will likely draw down baby boomer's aggregate wealth.
    — Robert Frank, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • While the operation eventually drew down, DHS has continued to have a tumultuous 2026.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of draw down
Verb
  • The additional sleep provided by the bassinet also is believed to reduce burnout and postpartum depression in working moms and dads.
    — Roni Robbins, AJC.com, 20 July 2026
  • There is an endless debate about crime, its causes and how to reduce it.
    — Ronald J. Allen, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
Definition of reduce
Verb
  • This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 15, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • The company says its CoSMo fusion systems are based on the magnetic mirror concept, which uses magnetic fields to confine high-temperature plasma.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026
Definition of use

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uses up
use up
usher
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Cite this Entry

“Use up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/use%20up. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of use up for Spanish Speakers

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