as in spendthrift
someone who spends money freely or foolishly
he's a spender and she's a tightwad, so naturally they quarrel about money a lot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of spender
Saudi Arabia is the world’s fifth-biggest military spender, with $64 billion earmarked for defense this year.
—
Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
But not all childless people are spenders.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The company now guides 2026 capital expenditures, including finance leases, of roughly $115–$135 billion, placing it among the largest single-year capex spenders in the AI and hyperscaler universe.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
As part of the partnership, Corning is expanding its operations to meet demand not only from Meta, but also potential future orders from other big AI spenders like OpenAI, along with Club names Nvidia , Alphabet ’s Google, Microsoft , and Amazon .
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Thousands of players entered the portal this cycle and the sport’s biggest opportunists (and spenders) were active early.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
The buildup makes Japan one of the world’s top defense spenders as tensions with Beijing escalate over military activity near Japanese islands.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
Successive governments were able to spend money on welfare instead of defense, making the lives of ordinary Europeans much more comfortable, while relying on the United States, the world’s biggest military spender, to come to the rescue should the need arise.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Fanatics has spent the last few years expanding into other fan economies—trading cards, memorabilia, betting—that create layers of rewards for its top spenders.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
But not all childless people are spenders.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The company now guides 2026 capital expenditures, including finance leases, of roughly $115–$135 billion, placing it among the largest single-year capex spenders in the AI and hyperscaler universe.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
As part of the partnership, Corning is expanding its operations to meet demand not only from Meta, but also potential future orders from other big AI spenders like OpenAI, along with Club names Nvidia , Alphabet ’s Google, Microsoft , and Amazon .
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Thousands of players entered the portal this cycle and the sport’s biggest opportunists (and spenders) were active early.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
The buildup makes Japan one of the world’s top defense spenders as tensions with Beijing escalate over military activity near Japanese islands.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
Successive governments were able to spend money on welfare instead of defense, making the lives of ordinary Europeans much more comfortable, while relying on the United States, the world’s biggest military spender, to come to the rescue should the need arise.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Fanatics has spent the last few years expanding into other fan economies—trading cards, memorabilia, betting—that create layers of rewards for its top spenders.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spender
Noun
-
That is all the more reason the state must get a better handle on its spendthrift ways.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Who believes that, with the U.S. Congress poring over Epstein's emails, there isn't still more appalling material about Andrew and his spendthrift ex-wife Fergie to be exposed?—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Start with your biggest time waster and build from there.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
For example, default settings for focus time added blocking of sites in the categories Shopping, Tabloids, and Time wasters.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
He was raised on Chicago’s North Side by a wastrel father and a mother who struggled to put food on their table.—
Ron Grossman,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Aug. 2025
-
Ridley, traumatized by the cancer death of her mother and considered mostly a wastrel by those around her for pursuing a degree in the dread-inducing major of art history, knows a thing or two about the mythology behind these kindly rainbow-spewing creatures.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Twenty-six James Bond films (the 25 Eon joints, plus the prodigal Never Say Never Again) are coming to Netflix this month.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spender. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
