SPEND Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

spend

verb

ˈspend

Definition of spend

as in to pay

to hand over or use up in payment I always end up spending too much money at the mall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to consume

to make complete use of the town has already spent its budget for snow removal, and it's only January

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to waste

to use up carelessly spent all his energy on impractical schemes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 spend Among them are George Pyne, the founder and CEO of Bruin Capital, as well as the former president of IMG and COO of NASCAR, and Joel Litvin, who spent 28 years at the NBA, including a decade as president of league operations. — Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026 An Atlanta man will spend more than ten years in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme to steal over $3 million in fraudulent pandemic loans. — Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, often called a never-ending construction project, is entering an intensive period with plans to spend $1 million a day on construction work. — Kelly Yamanouchi, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026 In the winter, most people will spend their time skiing and enjoying the snow. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend

Verb

Benton County will pay $1,014,312 annually, Gentry will pay $195,140, Cave Springs will pay $165,500, and Decatur will pay $94,568.

— Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
As rocket launches increase, researchers are paying closer attention to this danger.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of pay

Verb

In Southern California and across the country, Halloween costume swaps and thrift stores are keeping costumes from going to waste.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
The city of Milwaukee waited 46 years to see its team in the Fall Classic, and this year's Brewers wanted to stop wasting time.

— Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of waste

Verb

The prince didn’t have any luck in blocking Kelce, which comes as little surprise given the Chiefs star knows how to avoid defensive players.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
This year, the company completed its purchase of Hot Topic, BoxLunch and Her Universe from Sycamore Partners, giving it more than 3,000 stores across North America.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of give

Verb

Allen drained it to extend Charlotte’s lead to 20, and then found Dennis Schröder for a high-five as Miami called a timeout.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
In hopes of restoring the water's blue hue, park rangers partially drained Morning Glory in the 1970s to extract debris.

— Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

Meta Platforms, which is pushing its Muse AI agent, lost 7% after reporting stronger revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though its profit fell short.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
The distance between pilot and production is where a lot of companies are losing footing.

— Chris Koehler, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of lose

Verb

When all out-of-court options have been exhausted, and the MCA debt threatens the immediate survival of an otherwise viable business, legal reorganization is the final angle of management.

— Nathan Mor, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Like athletes in other pro leagues, NFL players must first exhaust out-of-court arbitration and grievance procedures.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Browse Nearby Words

spences

spend

spender

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Cite this Entry

Style

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

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Synonyms of spend

verb

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