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spend

verb
\ ˈspend How to pronounce spend (audio) \
spent\ ˈspent How to pronounce spent (audio) \; spending

Definition of spend

transitive verb

1 : to use up or pay out : expend
2a : exhaust, wear out the hurricane gradually spent itself
b : to consume wastefully : squander the waters are not ours to spend— J. R. Ellis
3 : to cause or permit to elapse : pass spend the night
4 : give up, sacrifice

intransitive verb

1 : to expend or waste wealth or strength
2 : to become expended or consumed
3 : to have an orgasm
Other Words from spend Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about spend

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Other Words from spend

spendable \ ˈspen-​dÉ™-​bÉ™l How to pronounce spendable (audio) \ adjective
spender noun

Examples of spend in a Sentence

I spent $30 on his birthday gift. They spend a lot on clothes and cars. I want to buy a new car, but I don't have much money to spend. Her willingness to spend freely made her popular among her friends. He spends lavishly on vacations. I spent my summer at the beach. She spent eight months living in New York City. Relaxing with friends is a great way to spend a weekend. Our cat spends most of his time sleeping. Too much of my time is spent arguing with customers.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Mainland investors have spent $8.9 billion buying shares in Hong Kong over the last six weeks. — Fortune, "Trump’s Trade War with China is about to Hit Home," 31 Aug. 2019 But forecasters have often spent years studying atmospheric science, learning what affects storms’ movements and how to distill hundreds of models into a reasonable prediction. — Patricia Mazzei, BostonGlobe.com, "A wobbly Hurricane Dorian makes forecasters’ job nearly impossible," 31 Aug. 2019 The 21-year-old had spent much of the summer of 1992 abroad in Madrid studying for her bachelor’s degree in Spanish. — Grace Stetson, NBC News, "76-year-old mother continues to fight for justice for daughter killed 27 years ago," 30 Aug. 2019 The presidential campaigns had spent months training their Iowa volunteers to recruit supporters to participate in the phone caucuses. — Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, "Caucuses in Iowa Won’t Include Absentee Participation, D.N.C. Says," 30 Aug. 2019 Wayans has spent years forging her own path, something others with a famous last name might not do. — Sydney Scott, Essence, "Comedian Chaunté Wayans Is More Than Her Last Name," 30 Aug. 2019 Over the past 50 years, the US government has spent millions to breed, hatch, and train the birds to live on their own in the wild. — Justin Rohrlich, Quartz, "What kind of animal would shoot a whooping crane?," 29 Aug. 2019 Kennard has spent the past 36 years in the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer. — Fox News, "Alabama man whose $50 robbery triggered life sentence will go free after 36 years," 29 Aug. 2019 Harjo has spent her career trying to fulfill this credo. — Maya Phillips, The New Yorker, "Joy Harjo, the Poet of American Memory," 29 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of spend

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

History and Etymology for spend

Middle English, from Old English -spendan, from Medieval Latin expendere to disburse, use up, from Latin, to measure by weight, pay out — more at expend

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More Definitions for spend

spend

verb
How to pronounce spend (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of spend

: to use (money) to pay for something
: to allow (time) to pass in a particular place or while doing a particular activity
: to use (energy or effort) to do something

See the full definition for spend in the English Language Learners Dictionary

spend

verb
\ ˈspend How to pronounce spend (audio) \
spent\ ˈspent \; spending

Kids Definition of spend

1 : to use (money) to pay for something
2 : to cause or allow (as time) to pass … he parked his car … and was spending considerable time walking about town.— Robert McCloskey, Homer Price
3 : to use wastefully : squander She spends a lot of energy worrying.

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More from Merriam-Webster on spend

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with spend

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spend

Spanish Central: Translation of spend

Nglish: Translation of spend for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of spend for Arabic Speakers

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