1
as in paying
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 consuming
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 wasting
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 spending
After spending the first nine years of his career with the Washington Capitals, Johansson was traded to the New Jersey Devils in the summer of 2017, just before the Caps broke through with their Cup win.
—
Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Simon-Kucher also has a new holiday shopping report, which surveyed consumers in July, and is forecasting Gen Z shoppers to reduce their holiday shopping budget by only 1%, from $814 to $805, while Millennials will be spending 14% more year over year.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Frank and Maureen Olton were simply spending a Monday morning at home and their deaths have shattered the sense of safety and security in New York.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Democrats are also spending big to find online voices, who can appeal to voters.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Begiristain is now spending time with his family in his home city of San Sebastian, embracing life out of the fast lane.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Hargrave spoke to the way she has been impacted by spending time with Gibson and Falley.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
This could mean booking a therapy session, spending the day at a spa or taking more personal days.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
Enyedi shifts between the three storylines at will, sometimes spending several minutes in one only to cut to another for a few seconds and then over to the third.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Simon-Kucher also has a new holiday shopping report, which surveyed consumers in July, and is forecasting Gen Z shoppers to reduce their holiday shopping budget by only 1%, from $814 to $805, while Millennials will be spending 14% more year over year.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Frank and Maureen Olton were simply spending a Monday morning at home and their deaths have shattered the sense of safety and security in New York.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Democrats are also spending big to find online voices, who can appeal to voters.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Begiristain is now spending time with his family in his home city of San Sebastian, embracing life out of the fast lane.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Hargrave spoke to the way she has been impacted by spending time with Gibson and Falley.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
This could mean booking a therapy session, spending the day at a spa or taking more personal days.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
Enyedi shifts between the three storylines at will, sometimes spending several minutes in one only to cut to another for a few seconds and then over to the third.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spending
Verb
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The increase was due to Walmart introducing some higher-paying hourly roles in its Auto Care Centers last year, among other changes, the company said.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The poster continued to drag out the process, paying with cash instead of a card and taking their time bagging the groceries.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So, to avoid consuming too much selenium, enjoy Brazil nuts occasionally.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Researchers found that drinking the tea after consuming sucrose helped lower blood sugar.—
Christina Manian,
Health,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So although he was drafted last summer and made his professional debut this spring, the Blue Jays decided there was no reason to keep wasting his filth in games that don't count.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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The recent detection of citrus-wasting bacteria on a residential tree in San Clemente prompted a new quarantine order from the California Department of Food and Agriculture on Thursday.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Dodgers went on to defeat the Giants by the score of 6-3 giving Kershaw a no-decision while clinching a postseason berth.—
Wayne G. McDonnell,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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By turning a blind eye to scalpers, even giving them the tools to bypass limits and harvest tickets, Live Nation has acted as the promoter, the primary ticket seller, the artists’ manager, and the scalper.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Car dependency forces millions to borrow for an asset that immediately loses value, draining their wealth while binding them to a lifestyle with no real exit.—
Henrietta Moore,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
-
We are retired, and this is draining us.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Despite spending the whole three-hour awards show telling people that their overlong speeches were losing the Boys & Girls Club of America money, the bit was a ruse.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
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Resilience, in the simplest terms, is the ability to recover from challenges, adapt to change and keep moving forward without losing your core sense of purpose.—
Raquel Gomes,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The second stage was able to regain attitude control and managed to climb to a peak altitude of 198 miles (320 kilometers) before exhausting its fuel.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Lula was imprisoned in 2018, but he was released in November 2019 after the Supreme Court ruled that defendants can’t be jailed before exhausting appeal options.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The confirmation came just two days before the Fed is expected to vote on reducing its key interest rate.—
Adeola Adeosun
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Every action counts, whether reducing HFCs, investing in sustainable cooling, or holding governments accountable for climate commitments.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spending. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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