1
as in to pay
to hand over or use up in payment
I always end up spending too much money at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to consume
to make complete use of
the town has already spent its budget for snow removal, and it's only January
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to waste
to use up carelessly
spent all his energy on impractical schemes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spend
Illinois is the third school in three years for the younger Stojakovic, who spent one season at Stanford and another at Cal before joining Underwood's crew.
—
CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Later, director and screenwriter Sofia Alvarez spent an hour on the phone with Dessen talking about the book.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
Before she got called up by NASA, Koch spent a year at a South Pole research station.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
MassHealth spent roughly $270 million on adult dental services last fiscal year, according to officials.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Later, director and screenwriter Sofia Alvarez spent an hour on the phone with Dessen talking about the book.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
Before she got called up by NASA, Koch spent a year at a South Pole research station.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
MassHealth spent roughly $270 million on adult dental services last fiscal year, according to officials.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend
Verb
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And the Panthers feel safe with the rest of their inside linebacker depth to not have to pay a lot of money to retain a backup, particularly with the way Cherelus played in 2025.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The parents had each paid nine hundred dollars; most had found Squire online.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Its companion Renpho Health app (available for Android and iOS) tracks 50 health metrics, but some (like calories consumed and burned) rely on your input or external sources.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Fierce in expression but controlled in form, the 1959 LP draws out a rootsy warmth from beneath the bebop that had consumed bandstands since World War II, forging a sound that feels at once confrontational, mischievous, and generous.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He’s wired to keep a day from being wasted.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Usually, when a player is on a minutes restriction (following injury — as was the case with Chawinga), a team will keep that player on the pitch through halftime, so as not to waste one of its three allotted substitution windows per match.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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With its latest app update, American is now giving customers a fuller explanation behind every delay and cancellation.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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Another version used the bubble-wand photo to give Graham a pink Cinderella-style dress and a set of Mini Mouse ears, complete with perky red bow.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some fruit trees might prefer wet weather and moist earth, but others will perform best with well-draining, sandy soil.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
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That includes details that criminals can use to drain accounts, open loans, or impersonate you.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One such affair claimed an extra life when the executioner’s son ascended the scaffold to brandish a head, lost his footing, and fell to his death.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The Rockets are a team that lost its starting point guard (Fred VanVleet) at the start of the year while the Knicks brought back and built upon the exact same core that punched the franchise’s first ticket to the conference finals in the last quarter-century.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The idea that forms of artistic expression can exhaust themselves is nothing new.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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In 2018, pregnant with her third child, Kate Ames was exhausted.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stony rubbish, dead trees, the odd corpse in the garden—nothing that couldn’t be absorbed back into the earth.—
Caroline Fraser,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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In more severe cases of hair loss, a doctor might prescribe oral minoxidil, which is generally absorbed better by the body but also typically comes with more side effects.—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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