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
Born in the Philippines to a North Korean mother and a Russian Polish father from Brooklyn, Hyde has spent the better part of the last four decades putting the practice of male grooming on the map.
—
Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2025
Days can be spent visiting Buddhist temples, swimming beneath waterfalls, and hopping on boats to snorkel around colorful coral reefs.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2025
The country spends relatively little on national defense and domestic security -- only about 0.7% of its gross domestic product in 2024, said Diego Díaz of the Center for Investigation of Public Policy, a Mexican think tank.
—Mary Beth Sheridan The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2025
At the urging of scientists, especially those gathering at symposiums like the one in La Jolla, the federal government has spent millions stockpiling both the chemicals and other components needed to rapidly manufacture new vaccines and also on doses designed to match earlier strains of H5N1.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spend
Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2025
Days can be spent visiting Buddhist temples, swimming beneath waterfalls, and hopping on boats to snorkel around colorful coral reefs.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2025
The country spends relatively little on national defense and domestic security -- only about 0.7% of its gross domestic product in 2024, said Diego Díaz of the Center for Investigation of Public Policy, a Mexican think tank.
—Mary Beth Sheridan The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2025
At the urging of scientists, especially those gathering at symposiums like the one in La Jolla, the federal government has spent millions stockpiling both the chemicals and other components needed to rapidly manufacture new vaccines and also on doses designed to match earlier strains of H5N1.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend
Verb
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Can tariffs pay for a budget deficit when Social Security, Medicare and the interest payments on our debt are what really matter and there’s $36 trillion of national debt to be made up by them?—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2025
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The big picture: Price elasticity measures the degree to which consumers are willing, or unwilling, to pay higher prices for certain items.—
Felix Salmon,
Axios,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Data centers supporting these operations also consume vast amounts of water for cooling purposes, with each inference of 20–50 queries on a large language model using approximately 500 milliliters of water.—
Monica Sanders,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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And the Giants would have to feel comfortable with Rodgers’ off-field drama and distractions that consumed much of his two seasons with the Jets.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But Europe does not have the military capability, unity, or political will to provide such backing without the U.S. Zelensky, misled by these empty promises, risks holding out for European support that will never come, wasting valuable time that could be spent on real negotiations.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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Coaches and consultants waste hours working on their social media content, looking for nuggets of wisdom to share.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Then again, perhaps the world of Goop is not so far away after all: In these pages, Marisa Meltzer looks at the longevity practices of Marina Abramović, who, with her workshops and serums, may well be giving Gwyneth Paltrow a run for her money.—
Sarah Douglas,
ARTnews.com,
4 Mar. 2025
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And, at least in international markets, being crowned with an Academy Award is already giving the film considerable boost.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Fudd then drained her first 3-pointer after an 0-for-2 start, and Strong followed her up with four straight points off another pair of Marquette turnovers.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2025
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That fall and winter, constant power outages and air-raid alerts left them drained and on edge.—
Michael Holtz,
The New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Packers also lost defensive tackle T.J Slaton to Cincinnati, won't make a run at center Josh Myers and will cut or trade cornerback Jaire Alexander — possibly before the new league year arrives Wednesday afternoon.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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The Bulls lost their leading scorer for the final stretch of Monday’s win.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But by 2011, they were exhausted by seven solid years of touring and recording.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2025
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Like state government, municipalities also have exhausted most of their emergency federal pandemic aid.—
Jessika Harkay,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The foam rubber outsole has two layers: the softer upper part absorbs the shock, and the harder lower layer is for a better grip and durability.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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These forests of fast-growing brown algae provide food and habitat for hundreds of marine species and absorb greenhouse gases but are also highly sensitive to changes in their environment.—
Terry Castleman,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
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