Showing results for "spent"

• 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

• 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

Spent fuel is planned to be deposited in Onkalo's massive network of tunnels for 100 years but operations may be extended if new nuclear reactors are built.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

In fact, that’s more views than any MrBeast video racked up last year, including the YouTube star’s most popular stunt: “I Spent 100 Hours Inside the Pyramids!”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

Eddie Hunter:, external Spent his entire playing career with Queen's Park and went on to lead the team as head coach for 15 years from 1979 until 1994.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with author Alison Bechdel about her new book, Spent.

From Slate • Jun. 26, 2025

Spent all this time hating being alone, and now all I want is the quiet to look at my books.

From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Related Words

• dead
• finished
• lost
• used
• wasted