ENGLISH
REFERENCE

spent

adj.
US //ˈspɛnt// UK //spˈɛnt// spent
  1. 1 exhausted or used up (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    completely used up, tired, or having no energy left.

    depleted of energy, force, or substance; physically or metaphorically exhausted.

    Example

    After running the marathon, he felt completely spent and had to sit down.

    Example

    By the end of the third round, the boxer appeared spent, his movements slowing as his opponent maintained a steady offensive.
  2. 2 legal conviction (adj.)
    C1 Advanced British English Formal Technical Law

    in the UK, a past crime that is no longer on your official record because enough time has passed.

    referring to a criminal conviction that, under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, is removed from a person's public record after a specified period.

    Example

    He didn't have to tell his new boss about the crime because it was now a spent conviction.

    Example

    The applicant was legally entitled to omit the details of his youth offences, as they were considered spent under current UK legislation.

    Usage

    Usually used in the phrase 'spent conviction'.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a specific legal term in British English; in American English, people usually say a record has been 'expunged'.
    • unspent
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  1. 3 no longer in force (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal Technical Law

    used to describe a law or rule that is finished and no longer has any power.

    referring to legislation or an enactment that has ceased to have legal effect because its provisions have been fulfilled or have expired.

    Example

    The old emergency laws are now spent and cannot be used by the police.

    Example

    The statute was declared spent once the temporary administrative body it created had completed its final report and disbanded.

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