USING UP Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

using up

verb

present participle of use up

as in spending

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 using up Many families cannot afford to take the full allowable time off, using up sick or vacation time if available. — Megan Kuykendoll, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026 Flight controllers managed to slow the tumble and stabilize the spacecraft, using up precious fuel. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 If moisture is needed to get things moving in the machine, add the kee lo by the 1 tablespoon, using up to ¼ cup total for a single batch. — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 The result is fabulously decadent and the perfect recipe for using up oodles and oodles of summer squash. — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2026 Emily Weinstein, a researcher at the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard, says some students are using up to seven different apps to manage everything from grades to sports team schedules. — Charlotte Hu, Time, 22 July 2026 The company claims its models can match or outperform frontier labs using up to 100 times fewer tokens, which are the currency for running AI queries. — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 23 June 2026 This single observation suggests that, during strong wind conditions, each rotor would contribute about 1 MW of propulsion, even when using up its own 20 kW of spinning power. — Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026 Roskopf, however, countered that data centers don’t provide significant jobs, but only provide an additional tax base while using up resources. — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for using up

Verb

In the employer market, more recent data suggest the volumes of prescriptions — which are proprietary — are driving up spending more than prices, although prices are still a factor.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
Born and raised in Flushing, Queens, to a Chinese family, Liu developed an early interest in beauty, recalling spending hours painting her nails after school.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

Window closing to find survivors These are the kinds of scenes playing out across La Guaira state, with people milling around in the streets after being left homeless, uncertain of what to do next.

— Fernando Narro Roman, NPR, 28 June 2026
These same dynamics are now playing out in litigation over social media and youth mental health.

— Alex Smolak, STAT, 27 June 2026

Definition of playing out

Verb

This severe segmentation can be emotionally draining and erodes commitment to the organization.

— Catherine Bell, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of draining

Verb

The gentle squeeze around your legs provides other surprising health benefits on exhausting travel days.

— Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2026
Commanders should seek positional advantages without exhausting their soldiers, manipulate the enemy’s movements when possible, and recognize when circumstances make pursuit or attack unwise.

— Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of exhausting

Verb

Some have also had to tap their 401(k) plans to cope with financial shocks, like a 61-year-old who is currently drawing down her $100,000 retirement fund after losing her job in December.

— Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
On the other side of the equation, the United States has released 400 million barrels of emergency oil, vastly drawing down its stockpiles in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of drawing down

Verb

By using a dedicated promotional code, readers can unlock the full October Prime Day discount immediately, alongside an additional $20 off the sale price.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
That is precisely the lens Sébastien Meunier is using for his spring 2027 collection and a subsequent installation at the 41st edition of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories in October.

— Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of using

Verb

The answer may be different if the goal is reducing overall homelessness, helping people into the job market, spending as little taxpayer money as possible, improving health outcomes — or just keeping people alive.

— Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Like morphine and fentanyl, cychlorphine locks onto the brain’s mu-opioid receptors, reducing pain and increasing euphoria.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of reducing

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using

using up

usual

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“Using up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/using%20up. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of using up

verb

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