expend

verb

ex·​pend ik-ˈspend How to pronounce expend (audio)
expended; expending; expends

transitive verb

1
: to pay out : spend
the social services upon which public revenue is expendedJ. A. Hobson
2
: to make use of for a specific purpose : utilize
projects on which they expended great energy
also : use up
expender noun

Examples of expend in a Sentence

Are we willing to expend the time and resources required to solve the problem? redecoration will have to wait, since we've just expended our last dollar in buying the house
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Despite being a mere 10 million years old, Betelgeuse is already nearing the end of its mighty existence, having already expended most of its hydrogen reserves needed to fuel the fusion reaction that prevents the gigantic stellar body from collapsing in on itself. Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Apr. 2025 The club won the American League West but expended too much energy climbing out from its catastrophic start. Chandler Rome, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025 The company several years ago expended effort to try to enter the Chinese streaming market, through a deal with Chinese streaming platforms iQIYI. Todd Spangler, Variety, 23 Apr. 2025 Producing a pound of bamboo forks, for example, expends 0.46 kilowatts per hour, whereas making a pound of plastic forks expends 11 kilowatts per hour, according to Goldfarb. Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for expend

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin expendere to weigh out, expend, from ex- + pendere to weigh — more at spin

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of expend was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Expend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expend. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

expend

verb
ex·​pend ik-ˈspend How to pronounce expend (audio)
1
: to pay out : spend
expend state funds
2
: use up
expend energy

More from Merriam-Webster on expend

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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