1
as in spends
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 consumes
to make complete use of
settlers had to be sure not to expend their supply of firewood before the end of the long winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expends
This spiritual sequel to ‘Frankenstein’ is a romantic tale of obsession, possession and fantasy — adjectives that also apply to its filmmaker, Maggie Gyllenhaal, who expends massive quantities of energy jolting it to life.
—
Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This upper stage of the rocket kicks in above 62 miles (100 kilometers), once the core stage expends all its propellant.
—Marcos Fernandez Tous, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
The familiarity expends to the animation itself, courtesy of the prolific Titmouse studio.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
Targeting multiple muscle groups expends calories more efficiently.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026
Virtually every cell on every branch of the tree of life expends a hefty chunk of its energy budget — in some cells, more than half — on maintaining a voltage across its membrane.
—Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026
The places facing existential climate risks—especially those in the Deep South—are mostly in states that have long been considered politically uncompetitive, where neither party expends much effort or money to gain votes.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
China’s apparent surge in missile production comes as the US expends sophisticated defense systems in Ukraine and Israel, causing some ammunition shortages and sparking debate in Washington about how and where to deploy its high-end weapons.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Meteorologists said Erin would likely fluctuate in strength throughout the week as the storm draws strength from warm ocean waters, then expends energy through enormous wind and waves.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 17 Aug. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This upper stage of the rocket kicks in above 62 miles (100 kilometers), once the core stage expends all its propellant.
—Marcos Fernandez Tous, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
The familiarity expends to the animation itself, courtesy of the prolific Titmouse studio.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
Targeting multiple muscle groups expends calories more efficiently.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026
Virtually every cell on every branch of the tree of life expends a hefty chunk of its energy budget — in some cells, more than half — on maintaining a voltage across its membrane.
—Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026
The places facing existential climate risks—especially those in the Deep South—are mostly in states that have long been considered politically uncompetitive, where neither party expends much effort or money to gain votes.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
China’s apparent surge in missile production comes as the US expends sophisticated defense systems in Ukraine and Israel, causing some ammunition shortages and sparking debate in Washington about how and where to deploy its high-end weapons.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Meteorologists said Erin would likely fluctuate in strength throughout the week as the storm draws strength from warm ocean waters, then expends energy through enormous wind and waves.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expends
Verb
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This exceeds the normal percentage of what is provided by EQIP cost-share grants, which usually max out at 75% of what a farmer spends on practices like setting up a greenhouse or improving their irrigation system.—
Anthony Pahnke,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For example, one weekend session saw Cheyenne Hunt, executive director of Gen Z for Change, and Washington Post staffer Dylan Wells discuss how the public consumes news.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Mar. 2026
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But that also consumes about 5% of the country's overall electricity, according to a study by Tel Aviv University.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The sequel strips Grace of what made her special and merely pays lip service to the first one’s worldview, representing the antagonists as generically incompetent hedonists.—
Michael Ordoña,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Mar. 2026
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That comparison can be misleading, however, because insurance rarely pays that price and even people without insurance typically get discounts.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Board member Nicole Gribstad also urged the committee to include an option that delays such a decision and exhausts all other financial alternatives before closing schools.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pack drains a 3 and is up to 19 points, and Texas is on the verge of tumbling to the 10th seed in the SEC Tournament and back onto the NCAA bubble.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Choose a commercial seed-starting mix that is loose and drains well.—
Holly McNamara,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The cushiony cream is packed with Blue Hyaluronic Acid, a micro-sized form of HA that absorbs quickly and delivers long-lasting hydration.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
21 Mar. 2026
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In the agency partnership announced Thursday, the Treasury absorbs the loans from borrowers who are in default or haven’t paid their debts for at least nine months.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expends. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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