expend

verb

ex·​pend ik-ˈspend 

expended; expending; expends

transitive verb

1

: to pay out : spend

the social services upon which public revenue is expended

—J. A. Hobson

2

: to make use of for a specific purpose : utilize

projects on which they expended great energy

also : use up

expender noun

Synonyms

• disburse
• drop
• fork (over, out, or up)
• give
• lay out
• outlay
• pay
• shell out
• spend

Examples of expend in a Sentence

Are we willing to expend the time and resources required to solve the problem?

redecoration will have to wait, since we've just expended our last dollar in buying the house

Recent Examples on the Web

That line could be used as an insult for, say, a member of a sports team not expending enough effort. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2024

Metabolism is the rate at which someone expends energy and uses calories. —Patty Weasler, Rn, Bsn, Verywell Health, 16 Oct. 2024

The barracks show the military power Egypt expended to grow and defend its territory during this time. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Sep. 2024

At the same time, Washington should husband its resources, expending them as efficiently as possible and convincing Kyiv to avoid large, wasteful offensives. —Peter Schroeder, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin expendere to weigh out, expend, from ex- + pendere to weigh — more at spin

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

expend

verb

ex·​pend ik-ˈspend 

1

: to pay out : spend

expend state funds

2

: use up

expend energy