Word
spend
US/ˈspɛnd/
UK/spˈɛnd/
Irregular verb
Forms
Infinitive
spend
Past
spent
Past participle
spent
Definitions
01money
A1 · Beginner
v. to give money to pay for goods or services.
v. to pay out or disburse money in exchange for goods or services. Transitive, requiring a financial amount or a general object like 'money'.
日本語:（お金・時間を）使う※
“We spent too much money on dinner at that expensive restaurant.”
“The department spent its entire annual budget on upgrading the server infrastructure before the fiscal year concluded.”
Usage
Takes the preposition 'on' before the item purchased.
Pitfall
I spent much money for the car.
I spent a lot of money on the car.
Use the preposition 'on' when mentioning the item you bought, and prefer 'a lot of' over 'much' in positive sentences.
02time
A1 · Beginner
v. to use time doing a specific activity or being in a certain place.
v. to pass or occupy a period of time. Often followed by a gerund (-ing form) or a prepositional phrase.
“I spent the whole afternoon reading a book in the park.”
“She spent several months researching the historical archives to ensure the accuracy of her biographical novel.”
Usage
Commonly followed by a time duration and a verb in the -ing form.
Pitfall
I spent two hours for doing my homework.
I spent two hours doing my homework.
When 'spend' refers to time, follow it directly with the -ing form of the verb, not 'for doing'.
Antonyms
03to exhaust
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to use up all of something, like energy or strength.
v. to exhaust or wear out a resource, particularly physical energy or force. Often used in the passive voice or as a past participle.
“The long climb up the mountain had spent all his energy.”
“By the time the storm had spent its fury, the coastal village was left with significant structural damage.”
04expenditure
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Academic · Formal
n. the total amount of money that a person or company spends.
n. the total amount of money expended during a specific period or on a particular project.
“The company needs to reduce its marketing spend this year.”
“The government's annual spend on public infrastructure has increased significantly to stimulate the local economy.”
Usage
Common in business and government contexts; often functions as an uncountable noun.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “spend” in context.
Confusables
Save is keeping resources for later, while spend is using them up now.
RememberSave stays; Spend slips away.
Etymology
From Middle English spenden, from Old English spendan (attested especially in compounds āspendan (“to spend”), forspendan (“to use up, consume”)), from Proto-West Germanic *spendōn (“to spend”), borrowed from Latin expendere (“to weigh out”). Doublet of expend. Cognate with Old High German spentōn (“to consume, use, spend”) (whence German spenden (“to donate, provide”)), Middle Dutch spenden (“to spend, dedicate”), Old Icelandic spenna (“to spend”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/spend
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0