expend

verb

ex·​pend ik-ˈspend 

expended; expending; expends

transitive verb

1

: to pay out : spend

… the social services upon which public revenue is expended.

—J. A. Hobson

2

: to make use of for a specific purpose : utilize

projects on which they expended great energy

also : use up

expender noun

Synonyms of expend

• spend
• pay

Examples of expend in a Sentence

Are we willing to expend the time and resources required to solve the problem?

redecoration will have to wait, since we've just expended our last dollar in buying the house

Recent Examples on the Web

The French fighters expended at least 80 MICA air-to-air missiles, an expensive and unsustainable way of shooting down relatively inexpensive Iranian drones. —Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026

With just over a minute remaining in the first overtime, Wembanyama looked to expend his last energy trying for an offensive rebound. —Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 19 May 2026

In addition, most of the money dedicated to well plugging is expended through contractors. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026

Probably expended a lot of energy winning the first series. —Pat Gallen, CBS News, 13 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English expenden, exspenden, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French espendre, expendre, borrowed from Latin expendere "to weigh, pay out, disburse," from ex- ex- entry 1 + pendere "to weigh, have a weight of, pay (out), estimate, consider" — more at pendent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for expend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend

Kids Definition

expend

verb

ex·​pend ik-ˈspend 

1

: to pay out : spend

expend state funds

2

: use up

expend energy