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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From fiscal year 2015 to 2022, the Social Security Agency paid about $72 billion in improper payments, most of which were overpayments, the report noted.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
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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One in three consumes four or more drinks per week.—
Kristen Mascia,
Parents,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
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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Choosing either the Four Seasons or Boulders gives a convenient combination of accommodations, spa, food and access to four of the very best golf courses in greater Scottsdale.—
Larry Olmsted,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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Then finding a solution for them, but more give them the illusion of choice.—
Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz,
Vulture,
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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Remember—you've already lost if your ad feels like an interruption.—
Renae Gregoire,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Where slave labor once made bricks, and thousands lost their lives, the designer crafted a massive concrete monument, completed in 1969.—
Michael Allen,
The Conversation,
27 Feb. 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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In this fractured reality, audiences may be exhausted but every human still needs truth, for stories that inspire, for narratives that unite through identification rather than division.—
Bing Chen,
TIME,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Using a wooden spoon, stir well to break up any large clumps, then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook undisturbed until the water is absorbed and the mixture is fluffy, about 3 minutes.—
Meher Mirza,
Saveur,
27 Feb. 2025
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With Banana Plantation, a man is centered within the dense, green leaves of the banana groves, as if he’s being absorbed into the vegetation.—
Emi Eleode,
ARTnews.com,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spend. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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