spend

UK: /ˈspɛnd/ US: /spɛnd/ ,(spend)

Inflections of 'spend' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

spends

v 3rd person singular

spending

v pres p

spent

v past

spent

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

spend /spɛnd/   v., spent/spɛnt/  spend•ing. 

1. to pay out (money, resources, etc.): [~ + object]
   We had spent too much money on our vacation.
   [no object]
   All we do is spend, spend, spend; we need to save, too.
2. to pass (time, labor, etc.) on some work, in some place, etc.:
   [~ + object] The kids didn't want to spend their whole vacation indoors.
3. to use up;
   exhaust:
   [~ + object] The storm had spent its fury.

spend•a•ble, adj.: 

some percentage of spendable income for food.

spend•er, n. 

[countable] He was a big spender: he bought her jewelry and expensive clothes.

See -pend-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

spend (spend),  v., spent, spend•ing. 

v.t. 

1. to pay out, disburse, or expend;
   dispose of (money, wealth, resources, etc.):
   resisting the temptation to spend one's money.
2. to employ (labor, thought, words, time, etc.), as on some object or in some proceeding:
   Don't spend much time on it.
3. to pass (time) in a particular manner, place, etc.:
   We spent a few days in Baltimore.
4. to use up, consume, or exhaust:
   The storm had spent its fury.
5. to give (one's blood, life, etc.) for some cause.

v.i. 

6. to spend money, energy, time, etc.
7. [Obs.] to be consumed or exhausted.

• Latin expendere to pay out, expend; compare German spenden
• WGmc
• Middle English spenden, continuing Old English -spendan (in āspendan, forspendan to spend entirely or utterly) 1125–75

Synonyms

• 1. Spend, disburse, expend, squander refer to paying out money.
  Spend is the general word:
  We spend more for living expenses now.
  Disburse implies expending from a specific source or sum to meet specific obligations, or paying in definite allotments:
  The treasurer has authority to disburse funds.
  Expend is more formal, and implies spending for some definite and (usually) sensible or worthy object:
  to expend most of one's salary on necessities.
  Squander suggests lavish, wasteful, or foolish expenditure:
  to squander a legacy.
• 2. use, apply, devote.

Antonyms

• 1. earn, keep.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

spend / spɛnd/ verb (spends, spending, spent)

1. to pay out (money, wealth, etc)
2. (transitive) to concentrate (time, effort, thought, etc) upon an object, activity, etc
3. (transitive) to pass (time) in a specific way, activity, place, etc
4. (transitive) to use up completely: the hurricane spent its force
5. (transitive) to give up (one's blood, life, etc) in a cause

Etymology: Old English spendan, from Latin expendere; influenced also by Old French despendre to spend, from Latin dispendere; see expend, dispense

ˈspendable adjective