verb
-
to spend; disburse
-
to consume or use up
Related Words
See spend.
Other Word Forms
- expender noun
- overexpend verb
- preexpend verb (used with object)
- unexpended adjective
- well-expended adjective
Etymology
Origin of expend
1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin expendere “to weigh out, lay out, pay”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cross-country skiers talk about expending energy in terms of burning matches.
Ktown for All was harmed by having to expend resources replenishing the seized items, it alleged.
From Los Angeles Times
Still, perhaps all this energy expended on creating a fictional narrative of global solidarity has not been wasted.
From Salon
And — perhaps most importantly — how much energy do you actually have to expend?
From Salon
Privately funded science can be controversial, but OceanX notes that its research is all publicly accessible, and it partners with government and institutions often unable to expend their limited resources on marine science.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
