expend

verb

ex·​pend ik-ˈspend How to pronounce expend (audio)
expended; expending; expends
Synonyms of expendnext

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

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
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.
The state expended another 62,000 hours just from July through November, for a total of 154,000 hours expended over a period of about nine months. Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026 One of those blew up on its landing attempt while another was purposefully expended to get its payload to a higher orbital insertion. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026 Because what the Knicks are seeing right now is a player expending so much on one end that there may not be enough left on the other — and a coaching staff still searching for ways to pull him out of it before the games start to matter more. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026 With one missile – particularly one outfitted with cluster munitions – Iran can send millions of Israelis into bomb shelters and cause Israel and the US to continue expending a finite supply of costly missile interceptors. Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for expend

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of expend was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Expend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expend. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

expend

verb
ex·​pend ik-ˈspend How to pronounce expend (audio)
1
: to pay out : spend
expend state funds
2
: use up
expend energy

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