1
as in spending
to hand over or use up in payment
redecoration will have to wait, since we've just expended our last dollar in buying the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in consuming
to make complete use of
settlers had to be sure not to expend their supply of firewood before the end of the long winter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of expending
Thankfully, after expending serious overtime up front, the design crew lightened its hand over the rest of the truck, which remains a stout, sturdy pickup without the over-accentuation that characterizes the new US-market Tundra and Tacoma.
—
New Atlas, 16 Jan. 2026
And if this energy is used or leaks away, cells can replenish it by expending more of their chemical energy.
—Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026
Some argue that instead of expending resources and effort to knock its adversaries off balance, the United States should invest in itself and its distinct advantages, including existing and new relationships with allies, friends, and partners.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The process of expending off energy makes a dying star what's called a red giant, before the white dwarf remains.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Noise from loud ‘information laden’ conversations and music, task interruptions, alerts from social media applications, email, Teams calls, visual distractions all of which break your concentration and require you to re-focus expending un-necessary cognitive energy.
—Andrew Mawson, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Drawing on decades of lessons learned from previous space missions, this technique involves the use of atmospheric drag over the course of multiple passes to change orbits while expending minimal fuel.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
Men at the farmhouse responded by blasting away with guns, expending boxes of ammunition to no effect.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 6 Aug. 2025
New Atlas, 16 Jan. 2026
And if this energy is used or leaks away, cells can replenish it by expending more of their chemical energy.
—Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026
Some argue that instead of expending resources and effort to knock its adversaries off balance, the United States should invest in itself and its distinct advantages, including existing and new relationships with allies, friends, and partners.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The process of expending off energy makes a dying star what's called a red giant, before the white dwarf remains.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Noise from loud ‘information laden’ conversations and music, task interruptions, alerts from social media applications, email, Teams calls, visual distractions all of which break your concentration and require you to re-focus expending un-necessary cognitive energy.
—Andrew Mawson, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Drawing on decades of lessons learned from previous space missions, this technique involves the use of atmospheric drag over the course of multiple passes to change orbits while expending minimal fuel.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
Men at the farmhouse responded by blasting away with guns, expending boxes of ammunition to no effect.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expending
Verb
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Utilities are spending billions of dollars upgrading their aging infrastructure, while data centers are prompting a surge in demand for electricity.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
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Wagner Moura Basking in the sun outside The Times newsroom ahead of his digital cover shoot last month, Wagner Moura seemed exceptionally relaxed about spending his Tuesday afternoon in El Segundo with a bunch of journalists.—
Matt Brennan
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Osteoporosis can also be caused by certain unhealthy habits, such as being sedentary, consuming excessive alcohol and using tobacco.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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Because of its lingering ripening period, some gardeners wait until the fruit drops before consuming it.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In most of the cases, State Farm denied policyholders who had no connection to the company beyond paying their premiums.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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For rural counties with limited money, not paying the attorneys on the juvenile docket allows the court to pay for jurors, attorneys on other dockets, courthouse improvements and more, Fransein said.—
Raynee Howell,
Oklahoma Watch,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the storks suffered when developers and agriculture operations began the ditching and draining that eventually compromised some 35% of South Florida's wetlands, where the majority of the birds nested.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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Use a rich, well-draining, loamy soil mix rich in organic matter.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Still, investors in tech giants are growing nervous because these firms are essentially exhausting their available capital to fund the infrastructure buildout, according to Luria.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
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But some districts are hitting their ninth snow day of the year, exhausting the stockpile.—
Brooke Muckerman,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Earlier Thursday, the Nets also waived veteran forward Haywood Highsmith, freeing another roster spot while absorbing additional dead cap.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
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Now, rather than invest in more powerful and more expensive technologies, some scientists are using an alternative technique called expansion microscopy, which inflates the subject using the same moisture-absorbing material found in diapers.—
Molly Herring,
Quanta Magazine,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The system responded within milliseconds, fast enough to support real-time reactions such as pulling away from harmful contact or reducing applied force during interaction.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
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Republicans argued the bill would accomplish little in the way of reducing rates and would demonize utility executives.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That there are ways of getting outside yourself that enrich you rather than depleting you.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
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Research suggests that avid sports bettors are at risk of depleting their household savings, declaring bankruptcy, and even committing intimate-partner violence.—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expending. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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