spending money

American

noun

money for small personal expenses.

spending money British

noun

an allowance for small personal expenses; pocket money

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of spending money

First recorded in 1590–1600

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.

Especially as everyone is living longer and spending money and driving the economy.

From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026

Chief among the locals' complaints is that the tourists are not spending money in the area -- they simply show up, snap their selfies and leave.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

In some cases, OpenAI critics have said certain financing arrangements are circular in nature, with the company’s partners providing funding and the company spending money on computing with that partner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

“This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.”

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

It's a scheme we came up with to help earn some spending money.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023