# spent

/ˈspɛnt/ (US) · /spˈɛnt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/spent
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. exhausted or used up

adjective · CEFR B2

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

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

- After running the marathon, he felt completely spent and had to sit down.
- By the end of the third round, the boxer appeared spent, his movements slowing as his opponent maintained a steady offensive.

### 3. legal conviction

adjective · CEFR C1 · British English · Formal · Technical

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

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

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

Teaching tip: This is a specific legal term in British English; in American English, people usually say a record has been 'expunged'.

### 4. no longer in force

adjective · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

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

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

- The old emergency laws are now spent and cannot be used by the police.
- The statute was declared spent once the temporary administrative body it created had completed its final report and disbanded.

## Examples

- I spent twenty dollars on a new book.
- The company spent a significant portion of its annual budget on upgrading the office technology.
- While the committee spent months deliberating on the proposed changes, they ultimately failed to reach a consensus before the legislative deadline.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.