Showing Results for "spent"

See Also:

• past participle of spend.
• past tense form of spend.

spent

American  

[spent] / spɛnt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of spend.

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adjective

1. tired; worn-out; exhausted.

   Synonyms:

   fatigued, weary

2. used up; consumed.

spent British  

/ spɛnt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of spend

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adjective

1. used up or exhausted; consumed

2. (of a fish) exhausted by spawning

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• well-spent
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of spent

First recorded in 1425–75, for the adjective

Explanation

If you're spent, you are completely worn out or exhausted. Almost everyone feels completely spent after climbing a mountain or running a marathon. When you're spent, you've used up your reserves of energy, and when a physical item is spent, it's outlived its usefulness. Spent fuel, for example, has been burned and can no longer power a machine, and a rocket might power a space shuttle until it's spent and falls away. The adjective spent comes from the verb spend, "to pay out," which has the Latin root expendere, "to pay down."

Example Sentences

For the better part of a year, I spent myriad sleepless nights wrestling with my conscience.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

Before that he spent 26 years working for Asda.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Niki Webster, who spent nearly a decade at Goldman’s prime-brokerage division, is now the firm’s head of investor relations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Millions will be spent to regild the hulking Art Deco statues that buttress Arlington Memorial Bridge.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

I’ve spent the last few days practising and practising until I could ride the bicycle without falling over.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• dead
• finished
• lost
• used
• wasted