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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 using up 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 Breakfast Burritos The most flexible breakfast on this list and one of the best for using up what is already in the fridge. — Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 10 Mar. 2026 Data centers have faced increasing criticism for using up water and power, adding to the already-existing strain on those resources. — Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice, 5 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for using up

Verb

Both teams then got along just fine after practice with several players from each team spending time together.

— Jon Machota, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
That said, the Inn itself is so cocooning that many guests end up spending far more time on the property than originally planned.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

In the central English town of Stourbridge, where a huge blaze started Thursday, TV footage showed the fires consuming houses, with many left without roofs as flames burned inside the charred walls.

— Angela Charlton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
He is forbidden from having any contact with the victim, possessing any guns, and from possessing or consuming drugs or alcohol.

— Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of consuming

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

Clear communication keeps collaboration useful without draining the spark.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026
On longer tracks with more straights, such as Spa in Belgium or Silverstone in the United Kingdom, the experience behind the wheel has been more galling for drivers thanks to the batteries draining faster and being charged less.

— Luke Smith, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of draining

Verb

Senior technology executive and business coach Leah Farmer points out that burnout isn’t always caused by overwork, and that effort without agency can be exhausting too.

— Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
After exhausting all options, including selling their car and moving in with a relative, Esma makes the painful decision to wed Zara for the dowry.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhausting

Verb

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
In addition to ramping up its production since leaving OPEC+, Kpler senior oil analyst Johannes Raubal said the UAE has also been drawing down crude inventories, further enhancing export volumes.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026

Definition of drawing down

Verb

In Texas, lawmakers have been exploring a ban on foreign nationals using Texas surrogates – a move surrogacy experts worry could be the first step toward a statewide ban on the practice.

— Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
The Triglav Lodge, Slovenia's highest-altitude guest hut at an elevation of 2,515 meters (8,251 feet), is using paper plates this summer to save water on dishes.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of using

Verb

China, too, has relied heavily on its own massive oil stockpiles, while simultaneously drastically reducing its crude imports.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
That’s the international initiative aimed at reducing the number of severe injury and fatal crashes to zero.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of reducing

Browse Nearby Words

using

using up

usual

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Using up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/using%20up. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of using up

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

prowess

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes