EXPENDS Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

expends

verb

present tense third-person singular of expend

as in spends

to hand over or use up in payment redecoration will have to wait, since we've just expended our last dollar in buying the house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in consumes

to make complete use of settlers had to be sure not to expend their supply of firewood before the end of the long winter

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of expends If the stalk is left alone, the plant expends energy creating seeds instead of new blooms. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026 This spiritual sequel to ‘Frankenstein’ is a romantic tale of obsession, possession and fantasy — adjectives that also apply to its filmmaker, Maggie Gyllenhaal, who expends massive quantities of energy jolting it to life. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026 This upper stage of the rocket kicks in above 62 miles (100 kilometers), once the core stage expends all its propellant. — Marcos Fernandez Tous, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026 The familiarity expends to the animation itself, courtesy of the prolific Titmouse studio. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026 Targeting multiple muscle groups expends calories more efficiently. — Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026 Virtually every cell on every branch of the tree of life expends a hefty chunk of its energy budget — in some cells, more than half — on maintaining a voltage across its membrane. — Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026 The places facing existential climate risks—especially those in the Deep South—are mostly in states that have long been considered politically uncompetitive, where neither party expends much effort or money to gain votes. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025 China’s apparent surge in missile production comes as the US expends sophisticated defense systems in Ukraine and Israel, causing some ammunition shortages and sparking debate in Washington about how and where to deploy its high-end weapons. — Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for expends

Verb

Country music star Randy Houser spends a lot of his life on the road, but when the shows are over and the tour bus stops rolling, there's usually one thing on his mind.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Every year, Santos spends months back home in the Yukon as the official sign painter of Dawson City, preserving its history on behalf of the Canadian government.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of spends

Verb

And the city is backing a ballot initiative of its own, Measure AT, which would eliminate a $15-million cap on the 10% admission tax on ticket sales the stadium pays.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
That’s, like, half of what Heather pays for house slippers — that is a single designer slipper.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of pays

Verb

That pretty much exhausts the points of agreement between the pro- and anti-Proposition 40 camps.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Instead of occupying both sides with large cooling vents, air enters toward the front of the station and exhausts through the rear.

— Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhausts

Verb

Until, suddenly, the life drains from his eyes, sometimes for barely a second, and returning before anyone else in the scene notices.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
The all-in-one dock cleans the spinning dual mops with hot water, dries them with warm air to prevent musty smells, and automatically drains and refills the water tank.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of drains

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expenditures

expends

expense

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“Expends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expends. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of expends

verb

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