spend

[spend]

verb (used with object)

spent, spending 

1. to pay out, disburse, or expend; dispose of (money, wealth, resources, etc.).

   resisting the temptation to spend one's money.

   Antonyms: keep, earn

2. to employ (labor, thought, words, time, etc.), as on some object or in some proceeding.

   Don't spend much time on it.

   Synonyms: devote, apply, use

3. to pass (time) in a particular manner, place, etc..

   We spent a few days in Baltimore.

4. to use up, consume, or exhaust.

   The storm had spent its fury.

5. to give (one's blood, life, etc.) for some cause.

verb (used without object)

spent, spending 

1. to spend money, energy, time, etc.

2. Obsolete.,  to be consumed or exhausted.

spend

/ spɛnd /

verb

1. to pay out (money, wealth, etc)

2. (tr) to concentrate (time, effort, thought, etc) upon an object, activity, etc

3. (tr) to pass (time) in a specific way, activity, place, etc

4. (tr) to use up completely

   the hurricane spent its force

5. (tr) to give up (one's blood, life, etc) in a cause

6. obsolete,  (intr) to be used up or exhausted

7. informal,  to urinate

noun

1. an amount of money spent, esp regularly, or allocated to be spent

Other Word Forms

• antispending adjective
• underspend verb
• unspending adjective
• spendable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spend¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English spenden, continuing Old English -spendan (in āspendan, forspendan “to spend entirely or utterly”), from West Germanic, from Latin expendere “to pay out, spend, expend” ( expend ); compare German spenden

Word History and Origins

Origin of spend¹

Old English spendan, from Latin expendere; influenced also by Old French despendre to spend, from Latin dispendere; see _expend , _dispense

Idioms and Phrases

see pocket (spending) money.

Synonym Study

Spend, disburse, expend, squander refer to paying out money. Spend is the general word: We spend more for living expenses now. Disburse implies expending from a specific source or sum to meet specific obligations, or paying in definite allotments: The treasurer has authority to disburse funds. Expend is more formal, and implies spending for some definite and (usually) sensible or worthy object: to expend most of one's salary on necessities. Squander suggests lavish, wasteful, or foolish expenditure: to squander a legacy.

Example Sentences

He had spent nearly two years as a deputy mayor in Bass’ office, working on issues such as police hiring, public safety spending and the search for a new police chief.

From Los Angeles Times

And the Republican Party is targeting a decades-old law that prevents political candidates and parties from coordinating their campaign spending.

From BBC

Refusing to back the Republican spending plan this time comes with political risk that the wider public will grow frustrated as the dispute drags on and consequences begin to mount.

From BBC

However, it has adapted its economy and manufacturing to avoid collapse, with massively increased military spending resulting in continued growth.

From BBC

Aston Martin bosses said they had launched an "immediate" review of costs and spending in light of tougher trading.

From BBC

Related Words

• allocate 
• concentrate 
• consume 
• contribute 
• donate 
• drop 
• employ 
• expend 
• give 
• invest 
• put in 
• settle 
• use 
• waste