Jump To:

• spender
  spender

  noun

  a person who spends, especially one who habitually spends excessively or lavishly; spendthrift.
• Spender
  Spender

  noun

  Stephen, 1909–96, English poet and critic.

spender

¹ American  

[spen-der] / ˈspɛn dər /

noun

spenders plural

1. a person who spends, especially one who habitually spends excessively or lavishly; spendthrift.

---

Spender ² American  

[spen-der] / ˈspɛn dər /

noun

1. Stephen, 1909–96, English poet and critic.

---

Spender ¹ British  

/ ˈspɛndə /

noun

1. Sir Stephen. 1909–95, English poet and critic, who played an important part in the left-wing literary movement of the 1930s. His works include Journals 1939–83 (1985) and Collected Poems (1985)

---

spender ² British  

/ ˈspɛndə /

noun

1. a person who spends money in a manner specified

   a big spender

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• spenders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spender

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at spend, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Germany, the fourth-largest spender, raised expenditure by 24 percent in 2025 to $114 billion.

From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026

A spontaneous jaunt like that is probably something he wouldn’t have done years ago, but “after a lifetime of being a conscientious spender and saver, it felt deserved,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

There, the court reasoned that such independent spending could not corrupt, because to count as independent spending, a spender could not coordinate with the candidate on campaign messaging.

From Slate • Jan. 28, 2026

If the deal goes through, Paramount said that it would become Hollywood’s biggest spender — shelling out about $30 billion a year on programming.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026

Enough to cover the cost of the drinks plus tip—not too much, but enough to look like a big spender.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz