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 The artist spent February through April on her Little Miss Drama Tour, which took her all over North America and grossed more than $70 million across 453,000 tickets sold, according to Billboard Boxscore. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026 Related Articles The dinosaur has been given the elegant name Invictibellatrix amberina, which is quite a moniker for a speciman that spent much of the past hundred years in storage. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 After spending this year with North Texas SC, the young forward has also represented Mexico's Under-17 national team. — Conor McGill, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Elizabeth Holmes spent some of her last days out of prison with a film crew. — Dorie Clark, Contributor, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spend

Verb

What began as a few purists chasing a vibe became an ingredient an entire industry pays extra for.

— Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
The data showed that principals often earn from $158,000 to $186,000 per year, while assistant principals were generally paid $150,000 to $179,000.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of pay

Verb

Contemplation of this tax — which produced $384 million in the last fiscal year — has consumed endless hours of work from some of the county’s most respected leaders, and drawn earnest public testimony from dozens of people.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
So much about our elections is being decided now by people who are actively trying not to consume political news.

— Jacob Brogan, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

Advertisement Buy portions that match your appetite Throwing away part of a chicken breast means wasting more than dinner.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
The organization said the traditional foods that were in the building's freezer will be cooked and served instead of going to waste.

— Eric Henderson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of waste

Verb

Most questions were friendly and business-centric, but Marshall also gave his opinion on several polarizing issues, including federal immigration enforcement, tariffs and the war in Iran.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026
Four turboprop engines power the aircraft, giving it the performance needed for demanding military transport operations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of give

Verb

As music factories and generative tools take over entry-level work, newcomers risk losing a vital foothold in the industry.

— Ben Croll, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
So instead of making teams whole each time, the NFL now just pays teams’ travel expenses for their international game under the rationale that every team will lose a home game—and, in turn, home game ticket revenue—during that time.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of lose

Verb

Fans care about rivalries among teams made up of students who generally progress through college and exhaust their eligibility alongside their classmates, rather than athletes whose college careers extend well beyond the traditional timeline.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Across a vast and punishing Atlantic, the voyage exhausted the patience of its crew, but never the conviction of its captain.

— Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaust

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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 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of spend

verb

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